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THE LIFE 



Colonel David Crockett: 



COMPRISING 

HIS ADVENTURES AS BACKWOODSMAN AND HUNTER; HIS 

SERVICES AS SOLDIER AND SCOUT IN THE CREEK 

WAR ; HIS ELECTIONEERING CANVASSES ; HIS 

CAREER AS CONGRESSMAN ; HIS TOUR 

THROUGH THE NORTHERN STATES; 

AND HIS SERVICES AND DEATH 

IN THE TEXAN WAR OF 

INDEPENDENCE. 



TO WHICH ARE ADDED 

SKETCHES OF GENERAL SAM HOUSTON, GENERAL SANTA 
ANNA, REZIN P, AND COLONEL JAMES BOWIE. 



By EDWARD S. ELLIS, 

AUTHOR OF "the LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL EO<3NE," " NED IN THE BLOCK- 
HOUSE," "nED in the woods." ETC. 










PHILADELPHIA : 
PORTER & COATES, 



Copyright. 1884, 

BV 

POSTER & COATES. 



PREFACE. 

^*]\ TAKE room for Colonel Crockett!** said 

XVX the ushei . t the White House, one even- 
ing, when the famous Congressman from the back- 
woods presented himself with a number of other 
callers. 

"Colonel Crockett makes room for himself!** 
was the exclamation of the Member as he strode 
into the room. 

The incident is typical of the man. Gifted by- 
nature with an exhaustless fund of humor, born to 
privation, hardship and labor, trained, not in the 
school of books, but in the severer one of expe- 
rience, he exhibited true manliness, honesty and 
bravery in all his words and actions. 

Colonel Crockett lacked the refinements which a 
truer education would have given him : he said and 
did things which cannot be held up as models for 
the youth of to-day; but a profound sense of just- 
ice and of devotion to right permeated his entire 
life. Rough and uncultured though he was, his 
career contains much that is commendable and 
worthy of imitation. His moral heroism was dis- 
played in his defiance of the vast powers of Presi- 
dent Jackson when political ruin was the almost 
inevitable consequence. Of no man can it more 



IV • PREFACE. 

truly be said that he preferred being right to being 
President. His personal daring was shown on 
many a battle-field ; in the dim woods, when, single- 
handed, he encountered the savage bear; in the 
swamps, when struggling against malaria, starva- 
tion, and the wily Creek warrior; when coursing 
on his mustang over the Texan prairie and pursued 
by the fierce Comanche; and when, day after day 
and night after night, he loaded and fired his deadly 
rifle from within the sulphurous walls of the Alamo,, 
while Santa Anna and "his hosts closed about him 
and his fellow-patriots in a circle of flame and fire, 
and when, panting, begrimed and bloody, he stood 
with the handful of survivors until he saw, like a 
lightning-flash, the treachery of the Mexican dicta- 
tor, and, making a last desperate rush, with his 
drawn bowie-knife, he perished when within a pace 
of the traitor. Not a defender lived to tell the 
story of the sublime defence of the Alamo. Neither 
ancient nor modern history affords a grander exhi- 
bition of heroism than was shown on that crimson 
day when the blood of the Spartan band became 
the seed from which sprang Texan independence. 

Who has ever stood with bared head, and read 
without a quicker heart-throb, those words chiseled 
in the cenotaph in the Texan capital, and since 
destroyed by fire ? — 

''Thermopyl^ had its Messenger of De- 
feat: THE Alamo had None!" 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Birth of David Crockett — His Parents — Engages to a Ger- 
man Drover — His Return — Difficulties at School — Runs 
Away — Return of the Prodigal — Devotion to his Father. . g 

CHAPTER 11. 

Crockett's School Education — Disappointment in Love — 
His Marriage and Removal to Lincoln County — Breaking 
out of the War of 1812 — Weatherford, the noted War 
Chief of the Creeks — Massacre of Fort Mimms — Weather- 
ford's Surrender to General Jackson — His Famous Speech 
— Crockett becomes a Soldier 



19 



CHAPTER HI. 



Major Gibson and Crockett on a Scout in the Creek Coun- 
try — Battle of Tallushatchie — Before Fort Taladega 30 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Battle of Taladega— A Narrow Escape from Ambush- 
Frightful Slaughter — Want of Food — Mutiny of the Volun- 
teers — Crockett returns Home, and Re-enlists — Joins 
Major Russell's Spies — Attacked by the Indians at Night — 
Battle of Enotochopko — Fife, the Friendly Chief— Crockett 
returns Home, and again Re-enlists — Before Pensacola — 
A Scouting Expedition — Dangerous Ground 40 

CHAPTER V. 

The Creek Indians — Termination of the War — Crockett's 
Return Home — Death of his Wife — His Second Marriage 
— His Tour of Exploration — Dangerous Illness — Removal 
to the Tract purchased by the Government from the 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chickasaws — Justice of the Peace — Solicited to Run for 
the Position of Major of a Regiment, and Concludes, for 
Good and Sufficient Reasons, to become a Candidate for 
the Colonelcy 51 

CHAPTER VI. 

Crockett elected to the Colonelcy — He becomes a Candidate 
for Legislative Honors, and is Elected— His Financial 
Misfortunes — His Visit to the Country along the Obion — 
A Severe Tramp 61 

CHAPTER VH. 

End of the Voyage — The Cabin in the Woods — Removal of 
Crockett's Family — A Memorable Trip after Gunpowder 
— Crockett sets out upon a Bear Hunt 71 

CHAPTER VHI. 

Colonel Crockett as Bear Hunter — Becomes a Candidate and 
is elected twice to the Legislature — Votes against General 
Jackson for U. S. Senator — Crockett defeated for Con- 
gress 81 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Exploits of Colonel Crockett as a Bear Hunter 93 

CHAPTER X. 

Crockett's Lumber Speculation — On the Mississippi — An 
Overwhelming Disaster and Narrow Escape from Drown- 
ing Ill 

CHAPTER XI. 

Colonel Crockett's Successful Candidacy for Congress — 
Serves Two Terms — His Opposition to General Jackson 
defeats another Re election — Unfair and Desperate Means 
used to prevent his Success— He is elected for a Third 
Term ii5 



CONTENTS. vii 

CHAPTER XII. 

PAGE 

Colonel Crockett at Home 126 



CHAPTER Xni. 

A Sensible and Timely View of a Certain Constitutional ^ 
Question 137 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Colonel Crockett's Visit to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 
New York 157 



CHAPTER XV. 

In the Metropolis — Visit to Boston — Honors given him 
everywhere — Return to Washington — Adjournment of 
Congress — Goes Home by way of Philadelphia — Memora- 
ble Incidents on the Route 165 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Crockett Returns Home— A Candidate for Re-election to 
Congress— Defeated — His Bitter Disappointment — Starts 
for Texas 176 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Early History of Texas — The Home of Adventurers — Dis- 
reputable Character of many of the Early Settlers — Gen- 
eral Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna — Texas begins its war 
for Independence — Santa Anna, with a large force, invades 
the Territory ." 185 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Crockett's Trip to Texas — The Friends whom he Encoun- 
tered on the Steamer — His Speech of Advice 195 



Viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

PAGE 

Sketches of General Sam Houston and Colonels James and 
Rezin P. Bowie 209 

CHAPTER XX. 

Plans for the Conquest of Texas — Bowie's Barbecue near 
Helena— Distinguished People Present— Enthusiasm and 
Pledges of Money and Support given the Scheme 232 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Various Motives for Seeking the Conquest of Texas— Col- 
onel Crockett's Patriotic Letter — The Historic Conference 
at Louisville— Crockett's Last Letter 240 



CHAPTER XXII. 

San Antonio — Its Fiery History — Its final Capture by the 
Texans under General Burlison 246 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Within the Alamo 251 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Texan Thermopylae 257 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Conclusion 266 



THE LIFE 



COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER I. 



Birth of David Crockett— His Parents— Engages to a German 
Drover— His Return— Difficulties at School— Runs A way- 
Return of the Prodigal— Devotion to his Father. 

David Crockett was born August 17, 1786, in 
Rogersville, the county-seat of Hawkins County, 
Tennessee. His grandparents were Irish, who set- 
tled at first in Pennsylvania, afterward removed 
to North Carolina, and then to East Tennessee, 
where both were killed by Indians. 

John Crockett, the son, was born either in Ire- 
land or on the passage across the ocean. He 
served through the Revolutionary war, and after its 
close married Miss Mary Hawkins, a native of 
Maryland, who lived between Baltimore and York. 
David was the fifth child in a family of six sons 
and three daughters. At the time of his birth the 
father of David lived at the mouth of the Lime- 
stone, on the Nolachucky River. He was in poor 



lO LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

cifcumstances, and his children received little ad- 
vantages in the way of school education. 

While the subject of our sketch was still a boy 
his parents settled at a point ten miles above 
Greenville, in the same county. They remained 
there a short time, and then, as may be said, they 
were literally washed out. 

When David was about eight years of age, his 
father opened a tavern on the road from Abingdon 
to Knoxville. The house of entertainment was a 
third-rate one, and David says by the time he was 
twelve years old he learned very well the meaning 
of ''hard times, and plenty of them." 

One evening a German who was moving his 
earthly possessions from Knox County to Rock- 
bridge, Virginia, stopped at the little inn by the 
wayside with his herd of cattle, and he and the 
landlord had quite a long talk together. The 
result was the boy was hired out to accompany 
the German to help take care of his kine. 

David set out with a heavy heart, but the Ger- 
man treated him kindly, gave him good wages and 
tried to persuade him not to go back home at all. 
The boy had been so trained in obedience at home 
that he thought his employer had made some such 
an agreement with his father and it would not 
do to refuse. He therefore gave his assent, and 
stayed with the German several weeks. 

One day he recognized several wagons that were 
going by as belonging to his neighborhood in Ten- 
nessee, and the homesick boy applied to one of the 
teamsters to take him home. The man told him 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. II 

that he was going to stay overnight at a tavern 
seven miles farther on, but, if he should reach that 
point before daylight, he would give him permis- 
sion to ride with him. 

The boy cautiously gathered his clothing in a 
bundle, put it under his bed, and was so fearful of 
being late at the appointed place that he rose when 
it was shortly past midnight. As he stole out- 
doors he found it had been snowing hard for sev- 
eral hours. With nothing to guide him but the 
glimpses of the timber, he pushed forward with 
that resolution which was such a marked feature of 
his character in after-life. 

The snow continued faUing rapidly, and by and 
by the boy found it to his knees ; but he trudged 
steadily forward through the whirling flakes and 
blinding darkness, with no thought of turning 
back. The highway was shut in by timber on 
each side, and this was the only means of guidance 
the homesick lad could have, for the road itself 
was covered with snow to such a depth that not 
the slightest trace of it could be seen. The only 
consolation he had was the thought that his tracks 
would be covered too deeply for his German em- 
ployer, from whom he was running away, to follow 
him. 

Seven miles of such traveling is severe enough 
in the dead of night over a lonely road, but the 
boy kept it up, until finally, through the eddying 
flakes and darkness, he caught the starlight twinkle 
of a light. It seemed to him that he had gone 
three times as far as the distance named by his 



12 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

friend ; so he gave a great sigh, sure he was at his 
destination at last. 

It still lacked an hour of daylight when he 
reached the inn, but the wagoner was stirring and 
making ready to start. The half-frozen lad was 
taken in by the fire, thoroughly warmed, given a 
good breakfast, and the long journey of four hun- 
dred miles began. David kept with him until his 
impatience became too great over the slowness of 
his horses, when he started ahead on foot. With 
some assistance from other friends, he reached 
home in safety. Parents, brothers and sisters were 
delighted to see the loved one, who had been gone 
long enough to make it seem as if he had re- 
appeared from another world. 

At this time David Crockett had no knowledge 
of his letters, and httle prospect of ever gaining 
any. The educational facilities in the backwoods 
three-quarters of a century ago were not calculated 
to make very profound scholars. However, there 
was a small school in the neighborhood, to which 
he was sent by his father. He attended faithfully 
for four days, and was just beginning to learn some- 
thing of the mysteries of the alphabet, when he got 
into a difficulty with a large boy. After school- 
hours David hid in the bushes and waited for him. 
He was considerably older than our hero, but the 
latter soon compelled him to cry for mercy. 

Knowing that the teacher would be sure to ad- 
just the matter on the first opportunity, David, 
instead of going to school the next day, hid in the 
woods. He repeated his truancy, until the teacher 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 3 

sent a note to his father inquiring the cause of the 
boy's absence. This brought out the truth, and 
the parent started his son to school ; and, to make 
certain he would be there promptly, he kept at his 
heels with a stout hickory swinging in his hand. 
David got beyond sight of his angry parent, and 
hid in the bushes until all danger was past. He 
was now afraid to go to school or to return home, 
for he knew that severe punishment awaited him at 
each place. In his dilemma, he made his way to 
the house of a neighbor who was on the point of 
starting for Virginia with a drove of cattle. An 
elder brother had already hired out to him, and 
David himself easily secured anengagement. He 
accompanied the drove through Abingdon, Lynch- 
burg, Orange Court-House, and Charlottesville to 
Front Royal, where his employer sold out his drove 
to a man who was not so indulgent to the lad. 

David started home with a brother of the 
original owner, there being one horse between 
them. The man kept the horse continually, while 
the boy did all the walking. He tired of this after 
a while, and they parted company. 

David hired himself to another wagoner, and was 
moving farther away from home when he met his 
brother, who tried hard to persuade him to go back 
to his relatives. David shed tears, for he was deeply 
attached to them all, but his terror of the whipping 
awaiting him at the hands of his master and father 
was too great to face, and he refused. He now 
drifted aimlessly about for months. He hired out 
at Gerardstown, while his employer went to Alex- 



14 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

andria for a " back-load," as it is called. The boy 
stayed there until the succeeding spring, when he 
decided to go to Baltimore to see whether there 
was not some opening for him. 

On the way thither he engaged himself to a 
wagoner, and, naturally enough, when in the Mon- 
umental city drifted to the wharves, where he wan- 
dered among the ships lying in the dock. He was 
a ruddy, powerful boy with a bright, pleasing face, 
though disposed to be wild in his ways. One of 
the captains made such a flattering proposal that 
he agreed to go to sea with him, and started back 
for his clothes. 

The wagoner, however, was very angry when he 
heard of the boy's intention, threatened to lock him 
up, and kept such a close watch upon him that he 
could get no chance to leave. 

Had the wagoner consented, how different might 
have been the life and career of David Crockett ! 

He experienced the usual rough usage of boys in 
his situation for the succeeding months, until again 
the longing for home came over him. He deter- 
mined to go back at all hazards. He toiled hard ; 
and when he had gathered a little money, he 
hastened impatiently forward, until he came to the 
stream known as New River, where the w^ater was 
so rough that no one was willing to put him across. 
He did his best to persuade some of the more skil- 
ful watermen to make the attempt, but no one would 
agree to do it ; and, with that same energy and res- 
olution which ever distinguished him, he sprang into 
the canoe and headed for the other shore. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 5 

The voyage was a difficult and a dangerous 
one. Brave as was the lad, he confessed that 
more than once he would have given the world, 
had it been his, to place his foot on dry land. 
Try his utmost, he could not keep the water 
out of the boat, and it seemed at times that he 
could not advance a foot. But at last, wet to the 
skin, shivering with cold, and thoroughly ex- 
hausted, he ran the boat ashore and sprang out. 
He had been carried full two miles out of his 
course, but he was overjoyed to find that the diffi- 
cult passage was made at last. 

The wearied boy was now nearing his home, 
and his heart was stirred as never before. He 
remembered the severe whipping from which he 
ran away, but his love for his parents, brothers 
and sisters overweighed everything else, and he 
was resolved to meet them with the least possible 
delay. 

It was late at night when he came in sight of the 
little tavern where his folks lived, and the heart of 
the young runaway beat high with emotion at the 
prospect of seeing them again. 

Were they all there ? Were they alive and well ? 
Had they given him up for dead ? What would 
they say when he should appear among them? 
Would his father forgive the disobedience of his 
terrified child ? Did they believe he had become 
such a wanderer over the earth that he himself 
would forget them, and never show his face among 
them again ? These were some of the questions 
which presented themselves to the mind of the 



l6 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

boy as he timidly approached his old home, specu- 
lating as to what his reception would be. 

There is something touching in the action of the 
runaway boy, as told by himself. He noticed that 
several wagons were standing outside, showing that 
the old-fashioned inn was not without its quota of 
guests. The lad was fearful of venturing in until 
he saw through the window his brothers and sisters 
taking their places at the table ; then he insinuated 
himself among them, and, without being noticed — 
for it will be remembered that the Crockett family 
was a large one — he began handling knife and 
fork as in the olden times. Suddenly the elder 
sister recognized her long-lost brother in the large, 
muscular, blushing boy at the table. She sprang 
up, and, rushing to where he was seated, threw her 
arms about his neck, exclaiming — 

'' It is Davy ! It is Davy ! " 

Everything was confusion. There was a scram- 
ble to get at the prodigal son who was lost, but was 
found — who was dead, but was alive again. The 
runaway felt as though he was an ungrateful dog 
to have remained away so long, and that, had he 
to go through the same trial again, he would brave 
a hundred whippings rather than offend such loving 
parents. 

There was nothing said of the punishment from 
which he had fled, and which was due him, but the 
shameful truth remained that David Crockett was 
fifteen years old, was growing fast, and yet did not 
know a half-dozen letters of the alphabet. He 
found his father very much burdened with debt, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 7 

for his income was small, and his family large. To 
one neighbor he owed thirty-six dollars, and saw 
no prospect of being able to pay it. In his strait 
he applied to Davy, telling him that if he would 
work out the note, he would give up all claim him- 
self to his services. 

It was characteristic of young Crockett's nature 
that he was sincerely attached to his relatives, for 
he instantly accepted the proposal, and, going to the 
house of the neighbor, began work, and kept it up 
for six months without losing a day. All this time 
the place itself was disagreeable to the boy, for it 
was the resort of gamblers and drinking men ; and 
when his employer made a proposition to hire him 
upon the expiration of his term, he refused. He 
went to the house of a Quaker, fifteen miles distant, 
where he experienced no trouble in effecting an 
engagement, for the lad was strong and skilful. 
The Quaker agreed to give him quite liberal wages, 
but David had been to work only a short time, 
when he showed him a note of his father for forty 
dollars, proposing to surrender it to the boy if he 
would work six months. David might well have 
asked how long this kind of business was to be con- 
tinued, but he accepted the proposal, and, as be- 
fore, he toiled early and late for half a year, at the 
end of which time the Quaker surrendered the evi- 
dence of indebtedness to him. 

During all this time the youth had purposely 
kept away from his home ; but, with the note in 
his possession, he now rode over to the inn one 
Sunday evening; and when all the family were 



1 8 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

gathered together in the little dining-room, the son 
took out the note and handed it to his father. 

The latter supposed it was presented for collec- 
tion, and was quite depressed, saying he had no 
money, and he could see no earthly probability of 
ever being able to pay it. 

Then it was that David, with his heart swelling 
with happiness, told him the truth. The father 
was so delighted that he could not keep back the 
tears, and the son himself felt he had been more 
than repaid for all his toil and self-sacrifice. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 9 



CHAPTER IL 

Crockett's School Education — Disappointment in Love — His 
Marriage and Removal to Lincoln County — Breaking out of 
the War of 1812— Weatherford, the noted War Chief of the 
Creeks — Massacre of Fort Mimms — Weatherford's Surrender 
to General Jackson — His Famous Speech — Crockett becomes 
a Soldier. 



David Crockett showed his good sense by- 
making a determined effort to acquire the rudi- 
ments of a common school education, for he was 
fast approaching manhood, and was still ignorant 
of his letters. 

He continued to work for the Quaker, who had a 
son teaching a mile or so distant, and the boy pro- 
posed that he should attend his school four days in 
the week, and work the other two to pay for his 
board. The Quaker agreed to the proposition, and 
David Crockett bent all his energies to study 
during the time he could secure for the succeeding 
six months. 

He possessed much natural ability, and learned 
to read and write, and acquired a knowledge of the 
elements of arithmetic. These six months com- 
prehended all the schooling he ever received in his 
life. 

Thus matters progressed until Crockett was 
eighteen years old, when his next notable proceed- 
ing was that of falling in love. The lady of his 



20 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

choice accepted him, and ^ everything went well, 
until a few days before the one appointed for the 
wedding, when Crockett received the astounding 
information that his affianced was only trifling with 
him, and that she had completed arrangements for 
marrying another on the succeeding day. 

This was a staggering blow to Crockett, but it 
was fortunate for him. Such a woman could never 
have made a good wife ; beside which, he was too 
young to take the care of a family on his hands. 

It should be stated that during these years, 
Crockett was laying the foundation of one phase of 
his education, to which in after years he owed a 
great deal of his fame. He was fond of wandering 
through the woods with his rifle, and became known 
as one of the most successful of contestants at the 
various shooting matches. He spent a great deal 
of his time in hunting for game, and with great 
success. 

Thus the months passed, and it was not long be- 
fore Crockett forgot his love disappointment in the 
fascination found in the company of a vivacious 
young Irish girl, living with her parents some miles 
away. He became very attentive to her, and 
though the mother was strongly opposed to the 
match, she finally gave in, and the young couple 
were married.* • 

* Davy Crockett's marriage is on record in Weakley County, 
Tennessee, as follows ; " Davy Crockett, with Thomas Dogett, 
security, binds himself in a bond of twelve hundred and fifty 
dollars to Gov. John Sevier, Aug. i , 1806, to marrj' Polly 
Finlay." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 21 

The marriage of a young person marks an era in 
his or her hfe, and Crockett reaHzed that he had 
taken a serious step. 

He was poor, and his wife's dowry amounted to 
little ; but both were young, strong, hopeful, and 
industrious. She owned a wheel and was a skillful 
weaver, while he was capable and glad to work with 
the sturdy arms which nature gave him. Further, 
his skill with his rifle occasionally brought some- 
thing substantial ; and, after all, it may be doubted 
whether Davy Crockett, amid all the honors which 
came to him in after years, enjoyed life more than 
when he began. keeping house in his little log-cabin 
in Tennessee, with his pretty, young Irish wife. 

Several years passed with hard toil and much 
happiness, for the two were devoted to each other, 
and worked hard. But they were obliged to pay 
high rents, and were unable to lay by anything 
for the proverbial rainy day. Crockett plainly saw 
that a change must be made, if he meant to rise to 
any station above the very low one he then occu- 
pied. Two sons had been born to him, and he was 
as poor in worldly possessions as when he began 
housekeeping. 

In looking around for some more suitable place 
to live, Crockett's attention was drawn to the duck 
and elk country. When he decided to try it, his 
father-in-law agreed to go with him, and the two 
families emigrated across the mountains, and set- 
tled in Lincoln County on the head of the Mul- 
berry Fork of Elk River. 

One most pleasing discovery was speedily made 



22 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

by Crockett — the country was especially rich in 
game, and he found enjoyable sport in ranging 
through the wood for bears, deer, wild turkeys, and 
smaller targets for his unerring rifle. 

It was while living in this place, and when some 
twenty-three or four years of age, that Crockett be- 
came still more noted for his great skill with the 
rifle. He was what is called a ''dead-shot," and 
there were none of his neighbors — many of whom 
were famous marksmen — who could hold their own 
in a trial with him. 

Many of his famous bear adventures befell him 
while living in this section ; and a certain abrupt, 
uneducated wit, and readiness of speech — natural to 
him — rendered him popular with his neighbors, who 
were of that class best qualified to appreciate such 
qualities. 

Here Crockett lived, spending his time In hunting 
and working for his growing family, until the break- 
ing out of the war of 1 8 1 2. The reader is well aware 
of the powerful efforts which the great Tecumseh, 
one of the most eloquent geniuses and remarkable 
men ever produced by the American race, made to 
unite the Indians of the South against the settlers 
who were so rapidly occupying their lands. The 
fire of Tecumseh's oratory set the Southern tribes 
aflame, and his bursts of eloquence were as thrill- 
ing as any of those of the world-famed Demos- 
thenes or Cicero. 

Among those who were won over by the won- 
derful power of Tecumseh was Weatherford, one of 
the leading Creek chiefs. There is reason to be- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 23 

lieve that if he had entered upon Tecumseh's plans 
at once, he would have been able to overrun the 
entire Mississippi Territory ; but his hesitation al- 
lowed the favorable opportunity to pass forever 
from him. 

The most noted and lamentable incident con- 
nected with the Creek War was what is known as 
the Massacre at Fort Mimms by Weatherford at 
the head of a large body of Creek warriors. Gen- 
eral Claiborne was so confident that Fort Mimms 
was the objective point of Weatherford, that he 
ordered the construction of two additional block- 
houses, and cautioned the garrison very impres- 
sively of the danger which threatened them. 

Shortly after, General Claiborne set out with his 
command for Fort Early, the most advanced post 
in the Indian country. On the way, he again 
wrote Major Beasley, commandant at Fort Mimms, 
warning him of the certainty of an attack. 

The general named the dangerous and merciless 
Weatherford as the chief who was most likely to 
assault them. On the next day, after this letter 
was received, the dreaded sachem appeared before 
the fort at the head of fifteen hundred Creek 
warriors. 

As was usually the case along the frontier, the 
appearance of this formidable body was much in 
the nature of a surprise, despite the warning re- 
ceived the day previous. 

It is said that the first notice was brought into 
the fort by a small negro boy who reported that 
the " woods were full of them," that is, of Indians. 



24 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

He would have been whipped to break him of 
the habit of telling shameful falsehoods, had not 
his words proven true a very few minutes after- 
wards. 

The gate, in accordance with the law of the bor- 
der, was open and unguarded ; and, in an instant, 
the Indians began swarming through it. Major 
Beasley was a brave man, and he quickly rallied his 
garrison to repel them. 

The garrison consisted of two hundred and 
seventy-five, of whom only one hundred and sixty 
were soldiers ; the rest being old men, women, and 
children. Instantly began and raged for a quarter 
of an hour one of the most fearful hand-to-hand 
encounters that it is possible for the human mind 
to conceive. Tomahawks, swords, knives, bayonets, 
pistols — these were the weapons used by the in- 
furiated combatants, as with shout and yell and 
panting countenances, they fought like so many 
tigers, striving to get at the throat of each other. 

Where the Indians were nearly ten to one, and 
where they had gained the usual advantage over 
the whites by outwitting them, the result could not 
be doubtful. 

The garrison fought like Spartans ; one officer fell 
badly wounded, and was carried by two women to 
the nearest block-house. In a few minutes he re- 
vived, and insisted on being carried back to the 
gate where the struggle was going oh, for he knew 
that every arm was needed there. 

The same heroines carried him back, and he died 
at his post of duty shortly afterward. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 25 

Every officer of the garrison was killed fighting 
at the gate. 

By this time nearly all the soldiers were dead or 
dying, and the survivors, with the women and chil- 
dren, hurried into one of the block-houses, which 
they determined to defend to the last. But the 
Indians succeeded in setting fire to it, and then, 
ranging themselves outside, they shot down the 
frantic defenders who preferred such a fate to that 
of being burned to death. 

Of the entire garrison, only seventeen escaped ; 
and most of them were badly wounded. It is esti- 
mated that the Creek chief lost more than one- 
fourth of his entire band. Major Beasley was one 
of the wounded who was burned to death in the 
block-house. 

It was this dreadful massacre which gave rise to 
the Creek war. It took place August 30, 1813, 
and aroused such indignation and' such imperative 
calls for punishment throughout the country, that 
two powerful armies were organized and sent into 
the hostile territory to break forever the Indian 
power. 

The savages, appreciating fully these formidable 
preparations, saw that their conquest was inevita- 
ble, and hastened to propose terms of peace. To 
test their sincerity, General Jackson ordered them 
to bring in their great war chief VVeatherford, 
bound, and a prisoner. 

Shortly after the demand was made, an Indian 
strode into the tent of General Jackson, and with a 
proud, defiant air, said — 



26 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

" I am Weatherford, the chief who commanded 
at the capture of Fort Mimms ; I desire peace for 
my people, and have come to ask it." 

General Jackson was amazed, for it was his inten- 
tion to execute the sachem when he should be 
brought in a prisoner, but he was taken aback 
when the savage ventured into his presence in this 
bold manner. 

"I am surprised that you should come here," 
said the officer, " for I know your inhuman conduct 
at Fort Mimms. You deserve death." 

In answer to this, Weatherford made his famous 
reply : 

** I am in your power ; do with me as you please ; 
I am a soldier; I have done the whites all the 
harm I could ; I have fought them, and fought 
them bravely ; if I had an army I would yet fight ; 
I would contend to the last; my people are all 
gone ; I can only weep over the misfortunes of my 
nation." 

No man could appreciate true bravery more than 
did " Old Hickory," the hero of New Orleans. He 
was so struck with the words and manner of his 
noted visitor, that he said : 

" I expected you to be brought bound into my 
presence, and you deserve death, but I will take no 
advantage over you ; you are at liberty to depart 
unmolested ; you may place yourself at the head 
of your war party again, and fight us as hard as 
you please, but if you fall into our hands, you will 
receive no mercy. The only safety for you and 
your people is in unconditional submission." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 2/ 

With the dignity and indignation of Tecumseh 
himself, the talented half-breed chief made answer, 

" You can safely address me in such terms now. 
There was a time, when I could have answered 
you — there was a time, when I had a choice — I 
have none now. I have not even a hope. I could 
once animate my warriors to battle ; but I cannot 
animate the dead ! My warriors can no longer hear 
my voice : their bones are at Talladega, Tallushat- 
chie, Emuckfaw and Tohopeka. I have not sur- 
rendered myself without thought. While there was 
a single chance of success I never left my post, nor 
supplicated for peace. But my people are now 
gone, and I ask it for my nation and not for my- 
self. I look back with deep sorrow, and wish to 
avert still greater calamities. If I had been left to 
contend with the Georgia army, I would have 
raised my corn on one bank of the river, and 
fought them on the other. But your people have 
destroyed my nation ; you are a brave man ; I rely 
upon your generosity ; you will exact no terms of 
a conquered people that it would shame them to 
submit to. Whatever they may be, it would be 
madness and folly for me to oppose them. If they 
are opposed, you shall find me among the sternest 
enforcers of obedience. Those who would still 
hold out can only be influenced by a mean spirit of 
revenge. To do this, they would need to sacrifice 
the last remnant of their country, but they shall 
not. You have told our nation where they may go 
and be safe. Your talk is good talk, and they shall 
listen to it." 



28 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Weatherford was allowed to withdraw unmo- 
lested, for the circumstances were such, that Gen- 
eral Jackson would have scorned to take any 
advantage over him ; but the war was not ended 
by any means, for however sincere the great chief 
may have been in his professions, his brother lead- 
ers were too revengeful to obey his counsels. 

At the time of the breaking out of the Creek 
War, David Crockett was living ten miles below 
Winchester, and was about twenty-five years of 
age, with a sturdy, brave wife, and a growing family 
of children. When the news of the massacre at Fort 
Mimms came, it roused such a general war feeling, 
that Crockett 4etermined to volunteer, though his 
wife begged him not to leave her. 

He sought to convince her that it was his duty 
to go, for unless the Indians were summarily pun- 
ished, they would soon overrun the country and 
murder her and the little ones in their homes. 
Still further, if every married man waited until 
his wife gave consent, he would never go to war 
at all. 

Crockett's wife, seeing he was resolved on going, 
and knowing his determined nature, said no more, 
but shed a few bitter tears and went about her 
work. 

Crockett made his way to Winchester, where the 
muster was called, and found there was great ex- 
citement among the people, the war fever running 
high. 

The men were paraded and addressed by Lawyer 
Jones, who was afterwards a member of Congress 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 29 

from Tennessee. Crockett was one of the very- 
first to step out, and a company was quickly raised. 
The term of enhstment was for sixty days, it being 
the general belief that their services would not be 
needed for a longer period. 

Crockett went home, bade his wife and children 
good-by, and mounting his horse, rode past Hunts- 
ville, and camped at a large spring called Beatty's 
Spring. There they stayed several days, while vol- 
unteers came in from every direction. 

When the number reached thirteen hundred, 
they were full of fight, and impatient to be led for- 
ward to the scene of hostilities. 



'^ 



30 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER III. 

Major Gibson and Crockett on a Scout in the Creek Country — 
Battle of Tallushatchie — Before Fort Taladega. 

While the volunteers were at the Spring, Major 
Gibson came to them, asking for some trustworthy 
scouts to accompany him across the Tennessee 
River into the Creek country, for the purpose of 
learning something definite of the movements of 
the Indians. 

He wished two of the best woodsmen and rifle- 
men. Crockett was immediately pointed out as 
one who would follow the major as far as he dare 
lead, and possibly would then take the lead him- 
self. 

Major Gibson was pleased with Crockett, who 
was a splendid picture of physical manhood, and 
asked him to select his companion. This wife done, 
and the major directed both to be ready to leave 
on the following morning. 

The start was made at an early hour, the party 
consisting of thirteen, all mounted, and with their 
camp equipage. Each was aware he was going 
upon a dangerous expedition, but all were resolute 
men, v/ho were glad of the prospect of something 
exciting in their experience, and they rode along in 
high spirits. 

Striking the river at a point known as Ditto's 
Landing, they crossed and penetrated about seven 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 3 1 

miles, where they went into camp for the night. 
They had scarcely done so, when a well-known In- 
dian trader who was familiar with that section 
joined them, and agreed to act as their guide. 

It was decided in the morning by Major Gibson 
to divide the party, as they were more likely to 
gain the information they were seeking by this 
course than by keeping together. The separation 
was made, the major's party numbering seven, and 
that of Crockett six. The understanding was, that 
Gibson was to take a route leading him by the 
house of a friendly Cherokee known as Dick 
Brown, while Crockett, making a circuit, was to 
pass by the dwelling-place of the Indian's father. 
After the whites had picked up all the information 
they could, they were to meet at the junction of 
two roads, fifteen miles beyond. 

The scouts were now in a most dangerous sec- 
tion, for the powerful Creek tribe was on the war- 
path, and their braves were roaming hither and 
thither, as fierce as so many tigers. Major Gibson 
and Crockett were close to their hunting-grounds, 
and, unless the utmost precaution was used, they 
were likely to be massacred to a man. 

As yet, there was no reason to suspect the 
savages knew of the expedition, though the In- 
dians were swarming so thickly about them it would 
seem there was scarcely a possibility that discovery 
would be long postponed. 

When Crockett reached the house of the old In- 
dian, he found a half-breed known as Jack Thomp- 
son, who promised to go with him. He was not 



32 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

ready to start at once, and the agreement was 
made that Crockett was to push his reconnoissance 
to the junction of the roads, where he would meet 
Major Gibson, and the half-breed would follow. 
As it was too dangerous to camp in the highway, 
Crockett told Thompson to give the hoot of an 
owl when he reached the fork, and he would answer 
him with the same signal, so as not to awaken the 
suspicion of any roving Creeks in the vicinity. 

The point of meeting fixed upon was so far away, 
and it was so necessary to proceed with caution, 
that Crockett knew it would be dark before the 
two parties could meet. 

The horsemen rode along at a guarded pace, see- 
ing nothing of Indians ; and, just as night was 
closing in, they reached the forks of the road, 
where Major Gibson promised to join them. 

But the major and his men were invisible, nor 
did they show themselves during the hour Crockett 
waited for them. As it was too perilous to remain 
so near the road, the little party turned into a hol- 
low, where they went into camp. 

Everything was quiet and the scouts took care 
not to make any unnecessary noise that might 
reach hostile ears. The night was far advanced, 
and Crockett was half reclining upon the ground, 
when, through the stillness of the night, he heard 
what seemed to be the hooting of an owl. 

''That's Thompson," he thought, as he answered 
the signal. 

In a moment, the call sounded closer, and shortly 
after, the figure of the half-breed loomed to view 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 33 

through the darkness. He had kept his appoint- 
ment to pilot them as best he could through the 
dangerous neighborhood. 

Crockett wondered where Major Gibson could* 
be : according to hi^ own proposal the officer ought 
to have reached the forks of the road before dusk ; 
but nothing was seen or heard of him, and when 
morning dawned, he was still absent. 

Crockett now told his men that he had come 
over into the Creek country on purpose to hunt a 
fight with the Indians, and he did not mean to go 
back until he obtained it. Their ostensible pur- 
pose was to gain information of the movements of 
the Creeks, and it would not do to return until 
they should succeed. 

His comrades agreed with him, and the little 
party pushed to a Cherokee town about twenty 
miles distant. Nothing was learned of any ac- 
count, and Crockett rode to the home of a white 
man who had married a Creek woman, and who 
lived on the edge of the Creek nation. 

There they found plenty of provisions for them- 
selves and horses, but the man was very much agi- 
tated over something. When Crockett asked him 
to explain the trouble, he said, in accents of terror, 
that within the preceding hour ten painted Creek 
warriors had left his house, and they were likely to 
return at any minute. If they should find the 
white men there, they would kill every one of them 
as well as the members of the family. 

Crockett coolly informed his host that he had 
come a long distance on purpose to hunt such par- 



34 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

ties ; and nothing would give him greater pleasure 
than to receive a call from those ten warriors, for 
there were just enough to insure an interesting 
skirmish. 

The horrified white man said no more, and the 
dinner being finished, the party remounted and 
galloped toward the camp of some friendly Creeks, 
eight miles distant. It soon became dark, but the 
moon was at its full and the sky was clear. Should 
it become necessary to retreat, the horsemen, there- 
fore, could travel as well at night as in the day- 
time. 

They were pursuing their way in this fashion, 
when they encountered two negroes, who had been 
stolen by the Creeks, and were now riding away 
from them. They were able to talk the Indian 
tongue, and one was sent back to Ditto s Landing, 
while Crockett took the other with him, as he was 
likely to prove useful in their visit to the Creek 
camp. 

When the latter was reached, Crockett found 
about forty warriors, squaws and their children. 
It was night, and by the light of a pine knot, he 
engaged in shooting with the bow and arrow, with 
the younger ones. 

While the leader of the little company was thus 
employed, the negro was talking with the Creeks 
and picking up such news as he could. He speedily 
gained that which was anything but pleasant, for 
hurrying to the side of Crockett, he told him that 
the Creeks were in momentary expectation of the 
coming of ^ large war-party of their, countrymen, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 35 

in which event the entire company would be killed 
without mercy. 

Crockett showed no more fear than on the former 
occasion, but told the negro to say to the alarmed 
Creeks, that if a hostile showed himself, he would 
take his skin home to make a pair of moccasins. 
The Creeks laughed aloud, and seemed to admire 
the audacity of their visitor. 

Everything went along peacefully until the night 
was well advanced, when they lay down to sleep. 
Some of the whites felt uneasy in their situation, 
as there was undoubtedly reason for such misgiv- 
ing, and the horses were kept saddled, so as to be 
ready at an instant's call. 

The leader was just sinking into a quiet sleep, 
when he was roused by the most frightful scream 
that ever pierced his ear. He did not comprehend 
what it meant, but the negro did, and springing to 
his side, he whispered that the war-party were 
coming ! 

Crockett and his men were up in an instant, as 
were all the Indians in camp. It proved that the 
warrior who had uttered the terrifying scream was 
a runner that had just come in with the tidings 
that the Creeks had been crossing the Coosa all 
day, near the Ten Islands, and they were gather- 
ing, or rather, moving forward to give General 
Jackson battle. 

This was most important tidings indeed, and 
Crockett felt it his duty to make known the intel- 
ligence with the least possible delay. 

The friendly Creeks were so frightened that they 



36 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

immediately broke up camp, while Crockett and 
his companions started at a rapid gallop for the 
river crossing, which was over sixty miles distant. 

They passed over most of the ground they had 
traversed in coming, and when they reached the 
Cherokee village they found it deserted, but large 
fires were burning, indicating that the country was 
full of Indians, and showing Crockett that it would 
not do to delay his return a single hour. 

It was too perilous to stay where the fires were 
burning, and the party pushed on by moonlight, 
keeping in the shades of the woods. At daylight, 
they were within thirty miles of the camp of the 
army. A brief halt was made, their horses given a 
few mouthfuls, and they started again, for they 
carried important information, and the hours were 
beyond value. 

Their steeds were forced to their utmost, and a 
short Vv^hile before noon, camp was reached, and 
Crockett made his report to Colonel Coffee. The 
latter listened attentively, but his manner showed 
very plainly that he placed little faith in what was 
told him. He evidently regarded Crockett as pos- 
sessing such slight experience and knowledge in 
these matters that he had been terrified out of his 
senses, and was telling what was suggested by his 
imagination, rather than his senses. 

Crockett was angered, for, after such prodigious 
efforts as he had made to carry the news to the 
colonel, and conscious as he was of its importance, 
it was exasperating to be discredited. He said 
nothing, but he admits that he was so indig- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 3/ 

nant that he had hard work to contain him- 
self. 

Major Gibson did not return until the next day. 
When he reported to the colonel, it was precisely 
to the same effect as was the report of Crockett, 
who was not appeased when he observed that 
Colonel Coffee for the first time credited the alarm- 
ing news. 
^ Extensive breastworks were immediately thrown 
up, and an express was sent to General Jackson at 
Fayetteville, urging him to advance at once to pre- 
vent the annihilation of Colonel Coffee and his 
command. 

General Jackson responded with his usual en- 
ergy, and, by making forced marches, reached 
camp next day. Some eight hundred of the vol- 
unteers, among whom was Crockett, were now 
sent back, crossing the Tennessee river and passing 
through Huntsville, so as to cross the stream at 
another place, in the hope of striking the Indians 
from an unexpected direction. 

In fording the river at Melton's Bluff, they met 
with much difficulty, losing several of their horses, 
but they pressed vigorously forward, and finally 
reached Black Warrior's Town, standing upon the 
present site of Tuscaloosa, at one time the capital 
of Alabama. 

The Indian town was quite extensive, but the 
warriors, as was expected, were gone, the trails 
showing that they had departed only in time to 
escape the approaching army. 

The soldiers -found an extensive field of corn and 



38 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

a good supply in the cribs, including a large quan- 
tity of beans. All this was taken possession of, 
and the town burned ; after which the soldiers set 
out to join the main body of troops. A good deal 
of marching followed, and, as the supplies of meat 
ran out, Crockett's rifle was called into play, and 
did much toward procuring supplies of the needed 
food. 

The command marched to Camp Wills, and 
thence to Ten Islands on the Coosa, where they 
established a fort, and the spies were sent out to 
gather all information possible. Learning of an 
Indian town eight miles away, they proceeded to 
surround it. The Indians fought with much des- 
peration, but were taken at great disadvantage, and 
the slaughter was frightful. The white soldiers, in 
some instances, were guilty of as great atrocities as 
were the Creeks at Fort Mimms. Crockett states 
that forty-six warriors, who were driven into one 
house, were burned to death, while an Indian 
woman who deliberately drew her bow and shot a 
lieutenant dead, was riddled by at least twenty 
bullets. 

Crockett himself fought with characteristic intre- 
pidity, being in the fight from the opening to the 
close. 

This battle is generally known as that of Tallus- 
hatchee, in which the whites lost five killed, and 
forty-one wounded ; while the Indian warriors were 
all slain, and the women and children taken pris- 
oners. 

The soldiers built Fort Strother, known some- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 39 

times as Ten Islands. Returning once more to 
camp, and joining General Jackson, the army suf- 
fered greatly for the want of provisions. All their 
meat was gone, and there seemed to be no means 
of obtaining more. This lasted for several days, 
when an Indian came into camp, late one night,' 
and asked for *' Captain Jackson." He was imme- 
diately conducted to his tent, where he must have 
given important information, for within the suc- 
ceeding hour, orders to march were issued. The 
Coosa river was crossed, and the army proceeded 
in the direction of Fort Taladega, which was occu- 
pied by friendly Creeks. 

When near the station, the Americans found 
themselves confronted by eleven hundred warriors, 
the very flower of the Creek nation. They were 
all fully armed and impatient for the fight. 

A couple of days before, they had encamped on 
the spot, and sent word to the Creek garrison that 
if they did not come out and fight with them, they 
would take the fort and put all to death. The 
frightened Indians asked three days in which to 
consider the matter, and improved the grace by 
sending a runner with the news to General Jack- 
son, who was now approaching the battle-field. 



40. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Battle of Taladega — A Narrow Escape from Ambush — 
Frightful Slaughter — Want of Food— Mutiny of the Volun- 
teers—Crockett returns Home, and Re-enlists — Joins Major 
Russell's Spies — Attacked by the Indians at Night — Battle 
of Enotochopko — Fife, the friendly Chief — Crockett returns 
Home, and again Re-enlists — Before Pensacola — A Scouting 
Expedition — Dangerous Ground. 

Fort Taladega was garrisoned entirely, as we 
have stated, by friendly Indians, whose message to 
General Jackson was that they would be massacred 
by the overwhelming body of Creeks in their front, 
unless he sent them instant relief. 

The fort stood about thirty miles from Ten 
Islands, but General Jackson having encamped a 
short way off, came in sight at daybreak. Of 
course the spies of the Creeks discovered his ad- 
vance, and were in communication with those in 
the fort. They told the garrison that General 
Jackson was approaching with a great many fine 
horses, blankets, and guns ; and that if they would 
come out and join them, they would divide the 
plunder between them. The friendly Creeks made 
the promise to help them, when the battle was 
ready to open. 

General Jackson formed his plan of battle in the 
same manner as that of the Spanish Armada of 
old ; but a portion of his command narrowly es- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 41 

caped an ambush — those terrible methods of war- 
fare, which are always in favor with the Indians. 

The Creeks being camped immediately about the 
fort, Jackson's forces divided so as to surround 
them, with a view of cutting off all escape. The 
movement was completed without difficulty, and 
Major Russell, with his company of spies, was sent 
to open the battle. 

As they approached the fort, the top was seen to 
be lined with the friendly Indians who kept shout- 
ing, with frantic gestures. 

*' How do, brother? how do, brother?" 

The sight was a curious one, for the warriors 
were without clothing, and were painted a finery 
red. They kept leaping and saluting, until Major 
Russell was past the fort, and moving toward the 
Creeks beyond. Here the hostile warriors had 
concealed themselves so skillfully that Russell sus- 
pected nothing, and was riding directly into the 
trap, while his friends of the fort were doing their 
utmost to apprise him of his danger. 

The officer did not understand their meaning, 
and a few minutes later he and his command would 
have been cut to pieces, had not two of the garri- 
son leaped down, and, running in front of him, 
caught the bridle of his horse, drawn him aside, and 
pointing ahead, told him that hundreds of In- 
dians were lying on the ground and waiting for 
him. 

Major Russell instantly halted, and it was high 
time that he did so. At the same moment, the 
Creeks opened with a fierce fire, and, springing to 



42 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

their feet, came rushing down upon the whites in 
great numbers. 

There was no hope of the soldiers withstanding 
the shock. The company sprang off their horses, 
and made for the fort, while their riderless steeds 
galloped with saddles and bridles flying, toward the 
main line of the army. 

The Indians sped straight on after the animals, 
until they came within gun-shot, when a volley 
was poured into them. They wheeled about, and 
made for the line on the other side, where they 
were received in the same manner. They then 
charged so desperately against the line that the 
militia gave way, and the Creeks, seeing no hope of 
turning the tide of battle, ran pell-mell for the 
mountains, three miles distant. 

The fleeing warriors were hard pressed, and their 
loss was great. There were 299 bodies found, and 
many must have been carried away. The whites 
lost 15 killed, and 85 wounded ; some of the latter 
dying afterward. 

This famous battle of Taladega was fought under 
General Jackson's immediate command, December 
7, 181 3. It was a crushing blow to the warlike 
Creeks, though the hostilities on their part were 
not yet ended. 

The expectation was that a supply of provisions 
would arrive at Camp Strother at Ten Islands for 
the army ; but, when the latter reached the station, 
there were no tidings of the supplies ; and even that 
which had been left behind of General Jackson's 
private stores had been distributed. The con- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 43 

dition of the army became critical, for its suffering 
was great, and it was not long before a mutinous 
spirit manifested itself. 

One day a half-famished soldier saw General 
Jackson seated on a log, and chewing something. 
Thinking it an opportune time to make his wants 
known, he approached his commander, and told 
him he was so nearly starved, that he knew not 
what to do. Jackson said he would gladly divide 
his food with him, and, taking a handful of acorns 
from his pocket, held them out for the private to 
help himself. The latter declined the offer with 
thanks, and when he rejoined his companions, said 
that no complaint should be made, when their 
commanding officer was living on acorns. 

To add to the discomforts of the soldiers, the 
weather became exceedingly cold, and their 
clothing was nearly worn out. , Their horses were 
feeble, and matters were in a deplorable shape. 
The militia officers proposed to Jackson that they 
should be permitted to go home, get fresh horses 
and clothing for another campaign, for the 
time of the volunteers had been out for several 
weeks. 

Jackson refused with his usual emphasis, but the 
soldiers were desperate, and they prepared for a 
general stampede, Crockett being among the lead- 
ers. The commander stationed his cannon so as 
to command a bridge which the rebels would have 
to cross, and issued orders to fire upon them if 
they dared to advance. The soldiers were also 
ranged in double lines with guns cocked. The 



44 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

mutineers were equally determined, and with their 
guns ready, they pressed forward. 

It was a critical moment, and it looked as if a 
collision was inevitable, but those who were ex- 
pected to conquer were in sympathy with the suf- 
fering soldiers, and, fortunately, not a gun was 
fired. The disaffection, however, was so great at 
one time, that the expedition was on the eve of 
abandonment. 

General Jackson pronounced the volunteers the 
strangest ones he ever saw, inasmuch as they 
volunteered to fight ; and then, when the desire 
took possession of them, they volunteered to 
leave. 

Crockett with the rest made his way home, and 
they procured other horses and clothing better 
suited for the winter season. While there, word 
was received from General Jackson, demanding 
that they should return and enlist for six months. 
As they had already served three instead of two 
months — the time of their original enlistment — the 
majority refused. A few, however, rejoined the 
army, and among them was David Crockett. 

Our hero attached himself to Major Russell's 
company of spies, those that came so near being 
destroyed at Fort Taladega, and started after Jack- 
son's army, which was on the move. When it was 
overtaken, a fort was established, and garrisoning 
it, the rest of the army pushed on to Horse Shoe 
Bend on the Tallapoosa river. 

Signs of Indians were abundant, and the whites 
went into camp for the night. A couple of hours 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 45 

before daybreak, the sleepers were aroused by the 
firing of guns, and springing up, found the Indians 
had attacked them. 

Jackson's men immediately drew off into the 
darkness, expecting the Creeks would follow, in 
which case they could be shot down by the light 01 
the camp-fires. 

But the Creeks were cunning, and kept under 
the protecting shadows, so that the soldiers could 
only fire at the points where they saw the flash of 
their guns. When day broke, the Indians with- 
drew, having killed' four, and wounded several 
others, but there was no means of knowing 
whether the -assailants had suffered any harm at all. 

The army pressed on, and was soon engaged in 
fording a large creek. About half the soldiers were 
over, when the concealed Indians opened a de- 
structive fire upon the left wing. Major Russell 
and his brother had remained behind that morning 
on breaking camp, in the hope of learning some- 
thing of the plans of the Creeks. While the attack 
was going on, the Russells were seen galloping at 
full speed toward the army, closely pursued by 
Indians. 

The latter immediately opened fire upon the 
artillerymen, and proved the best of sharpshooters. 
Hiding themselves behind the fallen trees, they 
drew careful bead upon the exposed men at the 
guns, and at nearly every flash a cannonier would 
fall. 

At this tiying crisis, Crockett states that a 
couple of their colonels showed the white feather, 



46 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

and hastily crossed the creek, so as to place them- 
selves out of range. Colonel Carroll distinguished 
himself by extricating the army from its perilous 
position — one-half being on one side the stream, 
and one-half on the other. The whites had a pow- 
erful ally in the person of a friendly Indian known 
as Fife, who joined them with two hundred of his 
warriors at Taladega. After some hard fighting 
the enemy were repulsed, and Crockett admits 
that it was a vast relief to him when the firing 
stopped, for it seemed during the battle as if every 
tree and log concealed a dusky sharpshooter, who 
devoted himself entirely to picking off the white 
men. 

This battle is known in history as that of Enoto- 
chopho, and it was not the end of the struggle in 
that section. Shortly after, the Indians renewed 
the attack with greater success than before. They 
drove in a picket, and General (lately promoted 
from Colonel) Coffee attacked the left wing of the 
assailants, but his men were so few that he was in 
imminent danger of being cut off. General Jack- 
son saw the peril, and sent the friendly chief, Fife, 
with his band of warriors to his relief. The In- 
dians were soon repulsed, but they renewed the 
battle with greater fierceness, and in a sltbrt time 
General Coffee was involved in deeper difficulty 
than ever. Fife went to his relief again, and drove 
back his countrymen only by a savage charge with 
the bayonet. 

Crockett returned to his family in Tennessee, 
where he was most joyfully received, for his wife 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 47 

naturally enough imagined that all manner of mis- 
fortune had befallen him, and his reappearance was 
much like that of a dear friend whom we have 
given up for lost. 

But the daring backwoodsman had not been 
with his family long, when calls were made for 
volunteers to go to Pensacola. Crockett was so 
anxious to fight the British, that he enlisted again, 
despite the entreaties of his wife, who had hoped 
that he would leave her no more. 
. One of Crockett's neighbors had been drafted, 
and he offered the volunteer a hundred dollars to 
go as his substitute. The young man said his 
training forbade his hiring out to be shot at, but he 
meant to go, and the drafted man should do the 
same, so that the government would get the ser- 
vices of both. 

Crockett attached himself to his old leader Major 
Russell, who followed on after the main army. 
There were over a hundred men in the company, 
which marched across the river at Muscle Shoals, 
where our hero forded it, just before the burning of 
Black Warrior's Town. They rode on through the 
Choctaw and Chickasaw nations to Fort Stephens, 
and thence to the junction of the Tombigbee and 
Alabama rivers. 

This was close to Fort Mimms, where, as the 
reader will recall, the Creeks had committed their 
great massacre of the previous year. When the 
point was reached, Major Russell found himself 
two days behind the main army, who had left their 
horses because there was no forage between the. 



48 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Point and Pensacola. Major Russell did the same, 
and started on foot for Pensacola. At noon, the 
next day, General Jackson's army was overtaken 
and found encamped on a high eminence, over- 
looking the famous city of Florida. 

But the arrival of Major Russell and his com- 
pany, although joyfully welcomed by Jackson and 
his soldiers, was too late to share in the glory of 
capturing the town, which had been taken by Old 
Hickory just before. 

As there was no need of the soldiers in this 
place, Major Russell and his company started back 
the next morning for the point where they had 
left their horses, with the view of using them in 
m.ovements against the Indians who were still 
causing a great deal of trouble. 

General Jackson and the main army set out for 
New Orleans, and Major Russell halted several 
days at Fort Montgomery, close to Fort Mimms. 

A good supply of provisions was secured by 
shooting the cattle which had formerly belonged 
at Fort Mimms, but which had run at large so 
long as to become wild. Leaving for Montgomery, 
Crockett's company marched some distance toward 
Pensacola and then, turning to the left, passed 
through a dismal, piny country, until they reached 
the Scamby river, near which they encamped. The 
force numbered about a thousand men, one-fifth of 
whom were Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians. On 
the evening of the arrival, a boat came up from 
Pensacola, bringing a good supply of the much 
needed provisions. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 49 

A little later, the Indians were given permission 
to cross the river. They were accompanied by 
sixteen white soldiers, Crockett being one of the 
number. They stayed all night on the opposite 
bank, and early in the morning started on a tour of 
exploration. 

Only a short distance was traveled, when they 
reached the flooded lands, through which they 
forced their way, the water sometimes reaching to 
their armpits. At the end of a mile and a half 
they found higher ground, where they halted to 
warm themselves, and dry their clothing. They 
proceeded on up the river for perhaps six miles, 
when their Choctaw spies, who were in advance, 
came running back in great alarm, saying that they 
had discovered a camp of Creek Indians. A con- 
ference was held, when it was agreed that the white 
men should advance and fire into the camp, after 
which the Indians were to rush forward and scalp 
the enemies. 

With this understanding, the start was made, 
when it was discovered that the hostiles were on 
an island, where they were practically inaccessible. 
While the spies were discussing the matter, they 
were startled by hearing the discharge of guns. A 
charge was instantly made for the point whence , 
came the reports of the rifles, and the two advance 
spies were encountered, who reported that, while 
they were moving cautiously forward, they met 
two Creeks who were out hunting horses. The 
spies pretended they were Shawanoes, escaping 
from General Jackson, and asked for something to 
3 



50 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

eat. The Creeks told them that nine miles up the 
river was a Creek camp where they could get all 
they wished, and that their own camp was on an 
island a short distance away. The Choctaws then 
attacked and killed the two Creeks and scalped 
them. 

Shortly afterward the house of a Spaniard was 
found where his wife, himself, and four children 
had been scalped. Crockett began to feel that he 
was upon very dangerous ground, but he continued 
forward until he struck the river, down which he 
and his friends continued until they came opposite 
the Indian camp. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 5 1 



CHAPTER V. 

The Creek Indians — Termination of the War — Crockett's Return 
Home — Death of his Wife — His Second Marriage — His Tour 
of Exploration — ^Dangerous Illness — Removal to the Tract 
purchased by the Government from the Chickasaws — Justice 
of the Peace — Solicited to Run for the Position of Major of a 
Regiment, and Concludes, for Good and Sufficient Reasons, to 
become a Candidate for the Colonelcy. 

The Creek Indians, who figure so prominently 
in the preceding pages, were hving, when first 
known to the whites, on the Flint, Chattahoochie, 
Coosa, and Alabama rivers, in Florida. Their tra- 
ditions, language, and peculiarities all point to a 
common origin with the Choctaws and Chickasaws. 
They seem to have emigrated from the northwest 
to Florida, whence they returned to the region be- 
tween the Ocmulgee and Tallapoosa rivers. As 
this is one network of creeks and rivulets, the early 
settlers gave it the name of the Creek country, and 
thus the Indians living there acquired the name. 
Those that remained in Florida were called Semi- 
noles (or Wanderers). When the settlements be- 
gan in the Carolinas and Louisiana, the alliance of 
the Creeks was sought by the French, English, and 
Spaniards. The overthrow of the French power in 
North America and the cession of Florida to Eng- 
land, brought the Creeks entirely under English 
influence. At that time they numbered 5,860 war- 
riors, and fifty towns. 



52 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

When the Revolution broke out, the Creeks were 
hostile to the Americans. A treaty of peace was 
made with them in 1790. As we have shown, they 
were our bitter enemies in the war of 18 12, em- 
phasizing their position by the massacre at Fort 
Mimms on the 30th of August, 18 13. The sub- 
sequent events of the Creek war may be thus 
summed up : 

The Indians were defeated at Tallushatchee, 
November 3, by General Coffee ; at Taladega, on 
the 7th, by General Jackson ; at Hillabee, on the 
nth, by General White; at Attassee, on the 29th, 
by General Floyd ; and at Eccanachaca, December 
23, by General Claiborne. Jackson defeated them 
at Emuckfau, January 18, 1814; and on the 24th, 
at Enotochopco. The final struggle took place at 
Horse-Shoe Bend on the 27th of March. There it 
was that the Creeks gathered their warriors for 
their last decisive stand. They numbered fully a 
thousand fighting men, among whom were several 
of their leading prophets, who had harangued them 
into the belief that it was impossible for the whites 
to conquer them, and that the prophets themselves 
could not be killed by a bullet. The earthworks 
of the Creeks were constructed with such ingenuity 
that the only way in which they could be carried 
was by storm. 

** Determined to exterminate them," says Gen- 
eral Jackson in his report, " I detached General 
Coffee with the mounted men and nearly the whole 
of the Indian force, early on the morning of yester- 
day (March 27, 18 14) to cross the river about two 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 53 

miles below their encampment, and to surround 
the Bend in such a manner as that none of them 
should escape by attempting to cross the river. 

" Beam's company of spies, who had accom- 
panied General Coffee, crossed over in canoes to 
the extremity of the Bend, and set fire to a num- 
ber of the buildings which were there situated ; 
they then advanced with great gallantry towards 
the breastwork, and commenced a spirited fire 
upon the enemy behind it." 

This force, however, despite its gallantry, was 
unable to effect its purpose, and the regulars, under 
Colonel Williams and Major Montgomery joined in 
an assault .which was irresistible. 

The Creeks were utterly routed, scarcely any of 
the warriors escaping. Their power was shattered, 
and the Creek war ended. 

Crockett took no noteworthy part in the hostil- 
ities beyond what has already been recorded. He 
was engaged on a sort of general scout through 
the Indian country with his company, during 
which his skill in shooting game saved him and 
his comrades more than once from actual star- 
vation. 

Finally, however, he considered his mission as a 
soldier ended, and he returned home, where he 
was most joyfully welcomed by family and neigh- 
bors. 

Two years of quiet contentment followed. He 
worked steadily on his farm with the industry and 
perseverance which won success ; but he was visited 
by a sad affliction. His young and pretty wife, 



54 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

who had proven such a true companion to him, was 
taken sick and died. She left her husband with 
his two sons and an infant daughter. 

The blow was a severe one, and yet it could not 
have crushed the backwoodsman so utterly as his 
own words would have us believe ; for no great 
time had elapsed when he married a widow whose 
husband was killed during the war, and who had a 
son and daughter. She was a worthy helpmeet, 
however, for she was good and industrious, and 
owned a valuable farm — which certainly was no 
disqualification in the eyes of her second husband. 

Crockett settled down at once, and remained at 
home until the following autumn, when he and 
three of his neighbors started to explore a portion 
of the Creek country on the other side of the river. 
They rode a considerable distance, staying over 
night at the house of an acquaintance. The fol- 
lowing day one of their number went out to hunt, 
but was bitten by a poisonous snake. He stayed 
at the house, while Crockett and the other two 
went on. 

Finally the three halted in a rich country, the 
site of the present city of Tuscaloosa. They went 
into camp, and as there were no settlers about 
them, their horses were hobbled ; but some two 
hours before daybreak, the hunters were awakened 
by the tinkling of the bells placed about the necks 
of the animals. The sound gradually died out in 
the distance, and showed that the horses were 
going home on a rather lively trot. 

As soon as it was light, Crockett started in pur- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 55 

suit, carrying his heavy rifle. The chase was an 
exasperating one, leading him through creeks, 
swamps, and over mountains and through woods. 
At every settler's house he heard of them as being 
only a short distance in advance, and the trail was 
so fresh that he was confident he was close behind 
them. Now and then the straining ear fancied it 
heard the faint tinkle of bells in the distance, and 
then the indignant hunter would start forward with 
renewed speed, sure of having them in hand, and 
being able in a short time to punish them for their 
dishonorable proceedings. 

When night came, and Crockett found he had 
traveled fully fifty miles, he was forced to the con- 
clusion that he could not overtake the runaways, 
(and it was perhaps fortunate for them he could not 
in his savage mood), so he tarried with a settler 
over night. 

In the morning, Crockett was tired out, sore and 
ill, but he was so anxious to rejoin his friends, that 
he set out, hoping to get better as he proceeded. 

Instead of improving, he steadily grew worse, 
and finally dropped down beside the trace, hoping 
that he would shortly rally. While he lay there, a 
small party of Indians came along and offered him 
some melons, but the poor fellow was too sick to 
eat. They then informed him by signs that he 
would soon die and be buried. Crockett says that 
he was forced to agree with them in their view of 
the situation. 

The hunter rose to his feet, but was so weak and 
ill that he staggered from side to side, and could 



$6 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

scarcely save himself from falling on his face. One 
of the Indians proposed to go with him, and carry 
his gun. The sick man a-ccepted the offer, giving 
him a half-dollar for doing so. 

At last he reached the nearest house, where he 
was put to bed, so ill that he became deliriou-s, and 
hovered for days on the very edge of death. His 
vigorous constitution and the careful nursing finally 
pulled him through, and at the end of a month he 
returned home, looking like a walking skeleton. 

His wife supposed he was dead, for his neighbors 
had returned and reported that they met Indians 
who had helped carry him away to die, and had 
actually assisted in burying him. 

Crockett saw that the section where he lived was 
sickly, and he determined to leave it. In the suc- 
ceeding autumn, therefore, he set out to look for 
the country that had been purchased of the Chick- 
asaw Indians. When eighty miles from home, he 
was taken sick again, probably from camping out 
on the way. During his sickness he became so 
well pleased with the country, that he resolved to 
settle in it. It was on the verge of the purchased 
tract, and little law or order existed. But he 
thought that if other people could get along with- 
out law, he could also. 

Accordingly, he removed his family to the head 
of Shoal Creek ; but, as is generally the case with 
new countries, the emigrants that flocked about 
them were such characters, that the more orderly 
ones saw the necessity of organizing for self-pro- 
tection. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 57 

There was not much in the way of written law, 
for Crockett and his friends thought that each man 
could interpret his duty for himself, and where he 
was given a conscience, he had only to follow the 
light within him. 

David Crockett was appointed one of the magis- 
trates, and he executed his duties with character- 
istic energy and promptness. When a man owed 
a debt and refused to pay, Crockett ordered his 
arrest, and the constable lost no time in bringing 
the culprit into court. Crockett would listen to 
the case, and if justice prompted, he would give 
judgment against him and issue an execution, — 
by which time the awful majesty of his manner 
generally scared the defendant into a wild eager- 
ness to pay his debts. 

If a man was charged with stealing, and it was 
proven against him, the magistrate generally or- 
dered him to be whipped, and the work was always 
done with thoroughness. The warrants which 
Crockett issued were verbal, and consisted of the 
words, " Catch that fellow, dead or alive ! " 

As a rule the fellow was caught. 

This state of things continued until the legisla- 
ture added the settlements to those of Giles County, 
when Crockett and others received legal appoint- 
ments as '^ 'Squires," and he was notified that his 
warrants must be issued in writing. 

This was hard work for Crockett, who knew 
little about writing and orthography, but he had a 
good constable, who helped him. But Crockett 
applied himself, and soon acquired such a facility, 



58 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

that he was able to keep his books and records 
without assistance. 

In this place, the following extract from the 
Lawrenceburg (Tenn.) correspondence of the Cin- 
cinnati Gazette of a recent date, is interesting : 

DAVY CROCKETT'S HOME. 

His Old Log House in Tennessee'. Mrs. Crockett as a Miller. 

This place is made memorable for having been 
the old home of Davy Crockett, who once lived 
about a mile and a half northwest of Lawrence- 
burg, He built a mill on the crescent branch of 
Shoal Creek, about half a mile above Simonton's 
factory, on said branch. Here he lived several 
years and followed milling and hunting, though it 
is believed that Mrs. Crockett mostly tended the 
mill while Davy was off hunting or electioneering. 
The venerable William Simonton, a respected citi- 
zen of the place, says he used to go to the mill 
there when he was a boy, and Mrs. Crockett was 
always grinding. She was a woman of great 
strength and could handle sacks of grain with 
great ease. The mill itself is gone, but a portion 
of the dam can yet be seen when the water is low. 
The house he occupied still remains. It is a hewed 
log-building, about 20x24. Though the -roof has 
been replaced by a new one, the old round log 
joists remain. We examined with feeling of in- 
tense interest, both inside and out, this last me- 
mento of the remarkable man whose name has 
become historical. We have also been so for- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 59 

tunate as to obtain several documents he issued 
while a justice of the peace, all in his own hand- 
writing. He wrote a better and plainer hand than 
we had supposed. We here append a verbatim 
copy of an execution he issued with his own hand, 
which is now in our possession : 

State of Tennessee, Lawrence County : 

To any lav/ful officer to execute : You are here- 
by commanded that of the goods and chattels, 
lands and tenements of John Palley you Caus to be 
made the sum of 3.821 cts. debt ; whar as Brown 
& Nixon obtained a judgment against the Sd Pal- 
ley, before me given under my hand and seal this 
loth day of October, 181 8. 

David Crockett, J. P. 

It has this indorsement on the back : 

Brown & Nixon vs. Palley, execution. Debt, 
$3,821 ; Shfif's fees, $i ; J. P. fees, 37. 

Respecting his decisions, while holding this hum- 
ble but responsible office, Crockett says that his 
judgments were never appealed from, as he gave 
them on tHe principles of common honesty and 
justice between man and man, and relied on natu- 
ral born sense instead of law learning to guide him, 
for he had never read a page of any law book in all 
his life. 

Crockett was discharging the duties of his station 
in this vigorous and commendable manner, when 
he was approached by a Captain Matthews, who 
told him he was a candidate for the office of colonel 
of a regiment, and that he wished Crockett to run 



6o LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

for that oCTrst major. The '* 'Squire " wished to 
decline, but Matthews was urgent, and at last 
Crockett agreed to stand for the position. 

As a matter of course, he counted upon the ear- 
nest support of the captain, who was an influential 
man in the section, being an old settler and the 
owner of a valuable farm. 

With a view of creating or rather extending his 
popularity, he gave a corn-husking, to which an 
immense number were invited, among them being 
Crockett and his family. 

During the progress of the merry-making, an 
acquaintance called Crockett aside and gave him 
the astonishing information that Captain Matthews 
was pressing to the utmost the canvass of his son 
for the very office for which he had sohcited and 
gained the consent of Crockett to run. 

Nothing stirred the resentment of the back- 
woodsman quicker than such double dealing as 
this ; and, taking the old gentleman aside, he in- 
formed him that his son need feel no uneasiness, 
as he had fully made up his mind not to- run against 
him for the majority. 

'' Instead of running for his office, "added Crock- 
ett, '' I have resolved to become a candidate against 
^oti for the colonelcy of the regiment." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 6l 



CHAPTER VI. 

Crockett elected to the Colonelcy — He becomes a Candidate for 
Legislative Honors, and is Elected— His Financial Misfor- 
tunes—His Visit to the Country along the Obion— A Severe 
Tramp. 

Captain Matthews saw from the manner of 
Crockett that he was in earnest, though the un- 
trustworthy officer assured him that he was very- 
sorry his son had determined to run for the office, 
against the judgment and wishes of his father. 

The captain then made a speech to the assem- 
bled crowd, and told them he was a candidate for 
the colonelcy of the regiment, and he hoped they 
would give him their votes. At the same time, he 
added that his opponent was his neighbor, " 'Squire 
David Crockett." 

All eyes were turned toward the renowned back- 
woodsman, who, in turn, was compelled to address 
them. He admitted that it was true he was a can- 
didate, and, inasmuch as he found he had to run 
against the whole family, he concluded to begin 
with the head of it. He was humorous and enter- 
taining, and such a speech is more acceptable to 
the ordinary crowd than is any scholarly effort. 

When the election came off, Crockett was elected 
colonel of the regiment by a large vote, and an- 
other friend beat the son of Captain Matthews for 
the majority — a result which could not but be 



62 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

particularly pleasing to him who had been treated 
so unfairly. 

This incident, unimportant in itself, was the 
turning-point of David Crockett's life, for it marked 
his entrance into the political field, wherein he 
reaped the honors which made him famous through- 
out the land. It gave him his first taste of the 
sweets of popular applause, and drew him along 
the deceptive path which so often leads to prefer- 
ment and honor, but not infrequently ends in dis- 
appointment, moral wreck, and death. 

It was David Crockett's first step of a peculiar, 
though brilliant career, which brought him the 
keenest of all disappointment, and ended in his 
death amid the smoking walls of the immortal 
Alamo. 

The election of Crockett to the colonelcy gave 
him great popularity, and drew public attention to 
him. It was not long after, that he was asked to 
become a candidate for the legislature in the coun- 
ties of Lawrence and Heckman. In the month of 
February, 1821, he submitted his name to the sup- 
port of his friends, and the next month started 
with a drove of horses to North Carolina. He was 
gone three months, and during that time his am- 
bition grew until, on his return, he threw his whole 
energies into the canvass, the occupation being 
altogether a new one to him. 

The first fact which strongly impressed Colonel 
Crockett was, that there was no more ignorant man 
in the State, concerning the pubHc questions which 
it was his duty to consider, than was he. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 63 

The candidate made a visit into Heckman 
county, where his constituents told him they 
wished to move their town nearer the center of the 
county, and that he must favor it. Crockett said 
he would give the matter his earnest consideration, 
and looked wise and favorable to the plan, though 
he admits that it passed his comprehension how 
the whole town could be shifted to another lo- 
cation. 

Shortly after, there was a famous squirrel hunt 
on Duck river, at which it was agreed that a large 
barbecue, and a regular country frolic, should be 
held. The party which shot the fewest squirrels 
was to pay for the entertainment of the other. 
This constituted a species of electioneering in 
which Crockett was at home. The company to 
which he was attached, as a matter of course, 
secured the largest number of the little animals, 
the candidate himself bringing in a great many. 
Before the dancing began, there was a demand for 
a speech from Crockett. His opponent was present 
and joined in the importunity, for he was sure any 
attempt at public speaking on his part would ex- 
pose him to ridicule. 

Very few men could have met the ordeal as did 
Colonel Crockett, for no one was more sensible 
than he of his ignorance ; but his inexhaustible 
fund of humor was at his command, and he drew 
plentifully upon it. What so pleasing to an Amer- 
ican crowd as an amusing story ? The speaker told 
a number, which set his hearers in a roar, and of 
course won him many friends. 



64 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

But he displayed an unerring appreciation of an 
assemblage in this country, by announcing that he 
was as dry as a powder-horn, and inviting them all 
to refresh themselves at the bar. They accepted 
with ardor, and the invitation went as straight to 
their hearts as they did to the counter for their 
supply of stimulants. 

Colonel Crockett next proceeded to the town 
of Vernon, which was the one that asked to be 
*' moved.'' He assured them he would think about 
it — as, in fact, he had been doing for a long time, 
without arriving at a conclusion — but he wished to 
satisfy himself first that the proposed removal 
would be right. 

This was eminently fair, and it left both parties 
in a. pleasant state of hope. 

Our hero's competitor and the candidates for 
Governor and for Congress attended the commence- 
ment of court on the Monday succeeding the bar- 
becue, where Crockett made his first speech. It 
was expected that he would hold forth again, with 
the others, and he was in a great state of uneasi- 
ness, for the ordeal was one of the most trying that 
can be imagined. 

But good fortune attended him, the other speak- 
ers occupied most of the time, and when the hour 
came for the backwoodsman, the audience were 
just in the mood to appreciate his short, pointed, 
and humorous stories, which in a few minutes 
gained him more votes than the labored efforts of 
his opponents won to themselves. 

In one respect the untutored Tennessean showed 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 65 

good sense by listening carefully to all the speeches, 
and taxing his memory with the statements of the 
rival candidates. In this practical manner he 
gained a knowledge of political affairs, which stood 
him well through the remainder of his canvasses. 

With his natural ability and quickness to grasp 
the situation, he steadily and rapidly increased his 
popularity. When election came off, he received 
nine votes more than double those of his com- 
petitor. 

A few days after his election Crockett was in 
Pulaski, where he met Colonel Polk, afterwards 
President of the United States. 

*' Well, Colonel," said Polk, " I suppose we shall 
have a radical change of the judiciary at the next 
session of the legislature." 

Crockett promptly replied that such was his 
opinion, and instantly moved out of range of 
hearing. 

But when he took his seat in the legislature, he 
listened attentively to the proceedings, and in a 
brief time was as well informed as the majority of 
his associates. 

While Colonel Crockett was on the very eve of 
his political career, he met with a great business 
misfortune in the washing away of his mill and dis- 
tillery. 

It ruined him for the time, financially; but, on 
the advice of his honest wife, he turned over every 
dollar's worth of property he had to his creditors, 
and with strong, trustful hearts, the two began life 
over a^ain. 



66 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Colonel Crockett, despite his industry and enter- 
prise, seems always to have been of a roving dis- 
position. He had scarcely returned from serving 
his term in the legislature, when, accompanied by 
his eldest son and a young man named Henry, he 
set out to visit the country along the Obion river. 
They were not long in selecting the spot whereon 
to establish their new home. The nearest house 
was seven miles distant, and the next was fifteen 
miles away, so there was no fear that Crockett 
would not have the elbow-room he declared was 
always so agreeable. ^ 

Having fixed upon the site of his new cabin, he 
and his two companions concluded to make a call 
upon Mr. Owens, their next door neighbor, distant 
seven miles, as we have already stated. The cabin 
stood on the other bank of the Obion, and the 
journey to it was a memorable one to all. 

Crockett had brought a single horse from home, 
upon which to pack their provisions. He was led 
to the water-side, and hobbled out to graze, until 
they should be ready to return. There was no 
boat with which to cross the river, which was very 
high, and overflowed a great deal of the surround- 
ing country. The circumstances being such, it is 
difficult for us, at this remote day, to appreciate 
the resolution they showed in making their call 
upon their neighbor. We cannot help believing 
that it would have been much more sensible had 
Crockett and his friends deferred their visit until a 
favorable season. 
, But they plunged into the chilling waters, which 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 6/ 

frequently rose to their necks, or rather to those of 
the young man and Crockett, for the son of the 
latter was so young and small, that he was fre- 
quently forced to swim when the others forded 
their way. The father took the lead, with a long 
pole in his hands, with which he sounded the water 
in front, to avoid stepping into any of the numer- 
ous sloughs. 

When they had toiled forward for a half mile, 
they reached the channel of the river, where they 
halted for a few minutes to decide how that was to 
be crossed. While the colonel stood irresolute, 
and looking at the deep, swift, turbid current, he 
observed a tree on the other side, which had fallen 
over in such a way that its top reached nearly 
across. Close to the backwoodsman was another 
tree, which, could it be made to fall properly, would 
supply the " missing link." 

Crockett began cutting with his tomahawk, and 
when it fell, it descended just as he wished, and the 
three made their way across the channel and into 
shallow water again without difficulty. But there 
was more of the water than was agreeable to the 
most devoted fisherman, for the three continued 
picking their way forward, sometimes only to their 
knees, sometimes to their armpits, and occasion- 
ally resting for a minute or two upon a tiny bit of 
land. They toiled in this fashion, all shivering 
with cold, and again the wonder comes to us that 
three human beings should have ventured upon 
such an expedition, when there was no adequate 
necessity for doing so. 



68 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

At last they reached land, and were gratified to 
catch sight of the cabin of their neighbor Mr. 
Owens, a short distance off. There they were 
given the best care imaginable, for the little boy of 
Crockett was shivering as if with the ague. At the 
time Crockett reached the place, Owens himself 
and several men were on the point of leaving, but 
they turned back to the house with him. 

The men with Mr. Owens were the owners of a 
boat, (which was the first that ever ascended that 
far up the Obion river,) and a crew that they 
had hired to carry it a hundred miles further up 

stream. 

»• 

A pleasant, social time was spent together, and 
in the evening Crockett and the young man Henry 
accepted an invitation to go on board the boat 
with the owners and crew, and all had a merry 
time of it. In the morning they proceeded with 
the boat to a point where a tornado had filled the 
river with timber, but they found the water so low 
that they decided to wait for a rise. Accordingly 
they dropped down stream again to a point oppo- 
site the home of Mr. Owens. 

It rained pretty hard the next day, but the 
effect on the waters was not sufficient, and the 
whole party went with Crockett to the spot where 
he had decided to build his cabin. With the help 
of his friends, they quickly put up a building more 
noticeable for its rugged strength than for its 
architectural beauty. The boat owners turned 
over to Crockett four barrels of meal, one of 
salt, and ten gallons of whiskey — the last being 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 69 

a commodity always highly prized by the eccentric 
backwoodsman. 

In paym.ent for these, Crockett agreed to accom- 
pany the party up the river to the landing-place. 
He shot a deer and procured some fine bacon, 
which he left at the cabin with his son and the 
young man, who were to stay there until his re- 
turn. He expected to be gone about a week. 

The boat reached the point where the tornado 
had filled the Obion with so much timber, and it 
was tied up for the night. Crockett saw no pros- 
pect of getting the craft through that day, so he set 
out to shoot a deer for his friends. 

It was a fine country for game, and he had not 
gone far when he brought down a large buck, with 
which he started back for the boat. On the way, 
he struck the trail of a company of elks, and im- 
mediately started after them. Before he came in 
sight of the game, he saw two large bucks, which 
he shot. Hanging them up, he resumed his pur- 
suit of the elk, but it was noon before he caught 
sight of them, and they were so timid that they 
kept beyond rifle-shot. 

Crockett found he was several miles from the 
boat and in a ravenous condition, for he had not 
eaten a mouthful since morning, and his exercise 
was of the kind calculated to give a man the most 
vigorous appetite. 

He concluded to forego his pursuit of the elks, 
and started down the edge of the river. He had 
gone a very short distance only, when he caught 
sight of two more plump-looking elks, which were 



yo LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

brought down by his unerring rifle. Both were 
hung up, and he pushed forward. Just at sunset, 
he descried three more, and shot one, but the other 
two made off before he could reload. This being 
hung up, made six which he had shot during the 
day, and, as night was close at hand, he set out for 
the point where he had left the boat early in the 
morning. 

But the craft was invisible, and wondering what 
it could mean, Crockett shouted at the top of his 
voice. Receiving no reply, he fired his gun, and 
an answering report came from a point two miles 
up the river. This showed that, contrary to the 
expectation of the Tennessean, the boat had been 
forced through the fallen timber. 

It was now dark, and the tramp through the 
vines and briers and over fallen trees was of the 
severest nature. He reached his friends at last, 
thoroughly worn out and exhausted. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 7 1 



CHAPTER VII. 

End of the Voyage— The Cabin in the Woods— Removal of 
Crockett's Family— A Memorable Trip after Gunpowder- 
Crockett sets out upon a Bear Hunt. 

It proved harder work to get the boat up the 
river than any of the crew expected, and instead of 
accompHshing it in three or four days, it was nearly 
two weeks before the voyage terminated. When it 
ended, the owners gave Crockett a small skiff, and, 
accompanied by a young man named Harris, who 
had concluded to live with him, they set out for 
the lonely cabin in the wilds of Tennessee. 

Crockett's son and his companion were found 
well and hard at work, and the four wasted no time 
in idleness. They planted corn, but the spring was 
quite advanced, so that no fence was erected. 
Crockett, as opportunity presented, roamed the 
woods, and during the spring, shot a large number 
of deer and ten bears. The section proved one of 
the best for game that the great hunter had ever 
visited. 

During the months spent here, the four persons 
never saw the face of any other white person, ex- 
cepting that of their neighbor Owens, seven miles 
away. There were plenty of Indians scattered here 
and there through the woods. When Colonel 
Crockett climbed to the top of some eminence, 



^2 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

and, like Daniel Boone under similar circum- 
stances, looked off over the vast area of forest 
stretched out before him, he could catch sight here 
and there of the thin blue column of smoke rising 
in the clear air, which showed where the half savage 
Indian had built his rude lodge, and where he led 
a lazy, vagabond life, while his squaw did all the 
work and drudgery that was done about him. 

The wife and family of Crockett were a hundred 
and fifty miles distant, and he set out to bring 
them to his new home. When he reached them, 
he was obliged to attend an extra session of the 
legislature. Then he made the removal that he 
had decided on long before, and kept hard at work 
until autumn. Then, as was his custom, he took 
to the woods with his rifle and dogs, and kept his 
family well supplied with meat. 

As Christmas approached, Crockett found his 
supply of ammunition was running low. His 
brother-in-law had moved to a point on the other 
side of a tributary of the Obion, and -had brought 
out a keg of . powder for Colonel Crockett, but 
it was still at the cabin of the more recent 
settler. 

Despite a freshet, the coldness of the weather, 
and the distance and difficulties in the way, Croc- 
kett determined to, make the twelve-mile journey 
for the ammunition. His wife protested, assuring 
him that he would certainly freeze or drown, but 
opposition never affected Colonel Crockett, who 
saw no meat in the larder, and no means of obtain- 
ing more, without first securing the powder. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 73 

In face of dangers that would have deterred the 
most daring ranger of the woods, he set out for the 
home of his brother-in-law, and there is no one of 
the extraordinary experiences of Colonel Davy 
Crockett which more strikingly illustrates the in- 
domitable resolution and pluck of the eccentric 
Tennessean than this hunt for gunpowder. When 
he set his mind upon doing anything, nothing less 
than Providence himself could turn him aside from 
its accomplishment. 

To begin with, the weather was not only bitterly 
cold, but it was steadily growing colder. To reach 
his relative, six miles away, it was necessary for 
Crockett to cross a tract a mile wide, which was 
overflowed with the chilling, swift-running current, 
and which in some places was too deep to ford, 
and there was nothing in the nature of a boat at 
his command. All the preparation that he made 
w^as to take along a dry suit to don, after passing 
the river. 

The snow lay several inches on the ground when 
he started, and never, says the backwoodsman, 
until then, did he suspect how much suffering a 
man can undergo, and not die. 

The river flowed within a quarter of a mile of 
his cabin, and, when he reached its margin and 
looked out over its surface, it seemed to him that 
he was standing on the edge of the ocean. As far 
away as the eye could reach, was the one vast ex- 
panse of turbid yellow water, sweeping forward 
toward the greater stream. Hundreds of trees 
forced their nodding tops through the splashing 



74 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

current, while limbs, leaves, and debris were con- 
tinually spinning past, or whirling about in the 
numerous eddies. 

A skillful waterman with a strong skiff or canoe 
at his command, would have hesitated a long time 
before venturing into a rapid current where he was 
sure to encounter so many dangerous obstructions, 
but the only cause for Crockett's hesitation was 
that he might take his bearings — rendered the more 
difficult, on account of the submergence of the sur- 
rounding country. 

It did not require long to locate himself, when 
he stepped into the icy water and moved toward 
the other shore. The depth was not very great, 
and he proceeded with little difficulty until he 
reached the channel which was spanned by a fallen 
tree. That still held its place, and he crossed over 
upon it. Some distance further on was a deep 
slough, which was also bridged by a log, and which 
was wider than the channel. 

But Crockett could see nothing of the log, be- 
cause it was under the water, though he knew there 
was a small island in the slough, and that a sapling 
stood close beside the submerged tree. 

He concluded that there was all of eight feet of 
water beneath this log and three feet above it. It 
was a very difficult and dangerous task to get 
across, and he stood some time debating as to the 
best means of reaching the other side, for he never 
entertained the thought of turning back. 

At last he cut a sapling near him, and succeeded 
in lodging it against the one standing on the island. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 75 

He then cut a pole, and crept along on the small 
tree, till he reached the one against which it was 
lodged, which was several feet above the w^ater. 

Groping about with his pole, he found the log, 
three feet below the surface, as he had supposed. 
Having taken his bearings, so to speak, he crawled 
back, and got his gun that he had left at the stump 
of the sapling. He then made his way to the 
place of lodgment, and moved down the other sap- 
ling, so as to reach the log. The rushing current 
reached his waist, and it was a most difficult task 
to pick his way across the unsteady support. If he 
lost his foothold, he would be instantly thrown into 
water where he would be forced to swim desper- 
ately for life. 

Feeling his way along, inch by inch, he finally 
got across the more dangerous portion, and had 
waded but a short distance, when he found himself 
on the edge of another slough, where the tree upon 
which he was usually accustomed to cross, was bob- 
bing about on the surface, instead of holding its 
position as did the other. 

The colonel thought the best way to manage 
this was by walking over it, and he set out to do 
so. Moving carefully, he reached the middle, 
when, like a flash of lightning, it turned beneath 
him, and he dropped into the water to his neck. 

This was terribly discomforting, with the water 
close upon the freezing-point, but Crockett pressed 
on with the same determination which character- 
ized him through life, and without any more mis- 
adventures, he reached dry land. 



76 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

He stopped and changed his clothes, but he was 
so nearly frozen that there was scarcely any feel- 
ing in his limbs. He had managed to keep his 
extra clothing dry by holding them aloft on his 
gun, when he fell into the deep water ; but he was 
nearly perishing with cold. 

The only means that suggested itself to pre- 
vent his freezing to death was to stir his blood by 
some rapid exercise. He set out to run, but could 
scarcely walk, he was so benumbed. By perse- 
verance, however, he rallied somewhat, and was 
able to keep moving. 

Night was closing over the forest, but the sturdy 
backwoodsman never gave up, and .by and by 
caught the glimmer of a light among the trees. 
He kept on, and shortly after was with his rela- 
tives. 

As may be supposed, they were astonished to 
see him, and he was soon made comfortable. 

In the morning it was piercingly cold, and his 
friends persuaded him not to attempt to reach 
home. He consented to stay, and killed two deer 
for them. But the weather grew still colder, the 
temperature steadily sinking until the third morn- 
ing, when there was a half inch of ice wherever the 
water was stationary. 

His relatives insisted that it was more dangerous 
than ever to return, for while the river was as deep, 
and was colder than ever, there could not be enough 
ice to support his weight. 

But Crockett could not forget that his family 
were without meat, and he could stay away from 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. J'J 

them no longer. He would reach home, or perish 
in the effort. 

Taking up his keg of powder and bundlg of 
clothes, he set out with that grim tenacity of pur- 
pose which was the most distinguishing feature of 
Colonel Davy Crockett's life. 

When he reached the edge of the water, he could 
not see that it had subsided any, but the whole 
surface was one smooth sheet of ice. 

"Ah, if that were only strong enough to bear 
me," was the thought of the hunter, as he peered 
toward the dark line among the trees, which 
showed the limit of the stream on the other 
side. 

Another night of such weather doubtless would 
have made it as firm as a board floor, and so given 
him the best possible road to his home, but he^ 
could not be persuaded to turn back. 

He stepped cautiously on the ice, and it cracked 
beneath his heavy tread in a way which showed it 
was on the point of yielding. Sure enough, he had 
gone but a few paces, when he went through in 
water above his knees. Immediately he drew his 
tomahawk, and began cutting a passage through 
the ice in front of him. 

After awhile, the frozen surface looked firmer, 
and he mounted upon it again. It splintered be- 
neath him, but did not give way, and he walked 
forward, quite hopeful of getting over without 
much difficulty, but a moment later, it broke,, and 
he sank above his knees again. As before, he 
broke his way until he reached the place where the 



78 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

slough was crossed by the floating log, which gave 
him his fail a short time before. 

This time, however, the ice held it quiet, and he 
passed over without any mishap. 

Arriving at the second difficult place, where, as 
will be remembered, the log was a long distance 
under water, he found the current so swift, that it 
was not frozen at all. Accordingly he waded just 
as he did before. When he reached the sapling, he 
left his gun and climbed out with his powder-keg 
first, and then went back after his gun. 

By this time Crockett was nearly frozen to death, 
for no man not possessing a prodigious vitality, 
'could have withstood such exposure as he had un- 
dergone for several hours. He was wet from head 
to foot, and the water was frozen upon him, so that 
his heavy garments bore him down like a coat of mail. 

But, while struggling bravely forward, he noticed 
that the ice was broken in front of him, and he 
thought it must have been done by a bear. Des- 
perate as was the condition of the hunter, he deter- 
mined to shoot the animal, if the opportunity pre- 
sented. He therefore primed his gun, and started 
upon the trail. 

The latter, however, led toward his home, and 
finally, to his door. It had been made by the 
young man at his house, who had been sent out by 
the distressed wife to look for her husband. When 
Harris came back with the report that no trace 
could be found of him, the poor woman was sure 
he had perished. 

He came very near it, but quickly rallied, and 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 79 

felt no regret for the dangerous journey, inasmuch 
as he had secured the indispensable ammunition, 
and was prepared to procure food for his family so 
long as the woods contained their royal game for 
his unerring rifle. 

As may be supposed, the Tennessean did not 
remain at home, now that he was supplied with 
ammunition. It rained hard at night, and before 
morning turned to sleet. All hands set out for a 
hunt, but Crockett went off alone in search of his 
favorite game — bears. He was led to the belief by a 
dream of an incounter with a gigantic African — a 
sign which he says he never knew to fail, when in 
a bear country. 

Crockett had two good dogs and an old hound, 
which he took with him. He traversed six miles 
up the river, and was then about two-thirds of that 
distajice frorn the Obion itself, to which he con- 
cluded to go, as he had not yet seen anything of 
the game he was hunting. 

Reaching the main stream, he turned down it, but 
the weather, which was so bad when he started, 
grew worse. The sleet descended fiercely, and the 
bushes were so loaded and bent down with ice, 
that it was almost impossible to force his way 
through the undergrowth. In a short time, how- 
ever, the dogs scared up a drove of wild turkeys. 
As the game was too valuable to pass by, Crockett 
shot two of the largest gobblers. Slinging them 
over his shoulder, he tramped until he became so 
wearied that he threw them on the ground, and 
sat down to rest a few minutes. 



2o LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

The oldest hound, who was investigating on his 
own account, approached a fallen tree, around 
which he snuffed a few minutes, and then, elevating 
his nose toward the sky, gave utterance to a howl 
which, to the ears of the hunter, ** meant business." 

The next instant, the hound was skurrying 
through the wood, with the dogs after him. 
Crockett threw his turkeys over his shoulder, and 
set off as rapidly as he could travel in the same 
direction. 

In a few minutes, he heard them baying again, 
and making haste, he soon came u|Ao them. 

The backwoodsman was hopeful of finding game 
in the tree, but a careful search failed to show any- 
thing of the sort. He concluded that the dogs had 
chased a turkey, which had flown away. Before he 
reached the hounds, they scampered off, and it was 
not long before they raised another alarm. B^it, as 
before, they were barking up the wrong tree. 

They repeated the performance several times, 
until Crockett lost all patience, and determined 
that, as soon as he could approach nigh enough, he 
would shoot the old hound for repeating his false 
alarms. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 8 1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Colonel Crockett as Bear Hunter — Becomes a Candidate and is 
elected twice to the Legislature — Votes against General Jack- 
son for U. S, Senator — Crockett defeated for Congress. 

Colonel Crockett did his hounds injustice. 
They were on the trail of a bear, as he discovered 
shortly afterward. 

As the hunter advanced, the dogs galloped 
ahead, occasionally stopping to look back and see 
how well he was traveling, and then they were off 
again, barking louder than ever. 

The hunter had been deceived so often, that he 
was exasperated, as we have said, to a destructive 
point. He grasped his rifle with the resolve to end 
such work on the part of his dogs, when t*hey 
reached the edge of a clearing or prairie, where the 
astonished Tennessean caught sight of one of the 
largest black bears upon which he had ever looked. 

He was of such enormous size and strength, that 
the dogs were afraid to close in with him. They 
had seen the game from the first, but the hunter 
was too far in the rear to catch sight of him until 
that moment. 

The scene was of that nature that it sent the 
blood tingling through the veins of the hunter. 
He hung his two turkeys on the hjnb of a tree and 
then, gun in hand, ran out upon the prairie, pant- 
ing with eagerness to overtake the animal ; for, if 



S2 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

there was any sport in the world which Colonel 
Crockett rated above all other amusements known 
to man, it was that of bear-hunting. 

Before he could overtake the dogs, the bear en- 
tered a dense thicket, and it was hard work follow- 
ing him. But it was not necessary to go far, when 
the huge animal was descried climbing a large 
black oak. Reaching a thick limb, he turned awk- 
wardly around, and sat facing the hunter, who, at 
a distance of eighty yards, put fresh priming in his 
gun and fired at him. The bear gave a start and 
uttered a snort ; and, standing where he was, 
Crockett hastily reloaded and fired at him again. 

This shot brought the bear scratching and tum- 
bling to the ground. At the same instant, one of 
the dogs uttered a howl of pain, and Crockett, with 
his hunting knife in one hand and his tomahawk in 
the other, advanced upon the enraged animal. The 
latter instantly released the hound which he was 
hugging with altogether too much emphasis for his 
comfort, and fixed his eyes upon the hunter. The 
latter retreated with even greater precipitancy than 
he had advanced, for he knew that if the wounded 
animal gave him one embrace, it would be likely to 
crush the life flcom him. 

Running back to where his rifle lay on the 
ground, Crockett reloaded it, carefully sighted and 
lodged a bullet in the bear with such good aim, 
that it died with scarcely a struggle. 

The killing of the brute was an important step 
in the enterprise, but it was scarcely less necessary 
to get the animal home. In the excitement of the 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 83 

pursuit, Crockett had lost his bearings, and he now 
blazed the saplings at short distances, as he started 
to find his cabin. When he reached it, he took his 
friends and four horses, with which he made his 
way back to where the carcase of the bear lay. 

It was growing dark, but they set to work .and 
dressed the game. It was of great size, and 
Crockett says he is positive it weighed fully six 
hundred pounds. He never in all his life, except- 
ing on one occasion, saw it excelled : that was when 
he slew a bear which was found to weigh six hun- 
dred and seventeen pounds. 

The backwoodsman had every reason to be grati- 
fied with his success, for his family was* now sup- 
plied with the best kind of meat, sufficient to last 
many weeks. He continued hunting more from a 
love of the sport than from necessity, and when 
February came, he had so many peltries that he 
packed a horse with them, and started for the little 
town of Jackson, some forty miles distant. He 
disposed of them for a fair price, and bought such 
provisions as his family needed, including ammu- 
nition for himself. 

Crockett was well known, and he met a number 
of old acquaintances in Jackson. The good nature 
and hu^mor of the backwoodsman made him popu- 
lar everywhere, and he spent several hours in 
pleasant social converse. 

Among those encountered were three candidates 
for legislative honors, one of whom was a relative 
of General Jackson, while Crockett liked all three 
of them. As they were taking a drink together, 



84 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

some one present remarked to Crockett that he 
would have to offer himself as a candidate. He 
said that he lived forty miles back in the woods, 
and he had no thought of any such thing. With 
a hearty good-bye, he and his little boy started on 
their long journey homeward through the wilderness. 

Any one who understands the character of 
Colonel Davy Crockett, can tell the inevitable 
consequence of this apparently unimportant inci- 
dent. He was known as a daring soldier who had 
proven his courage in the Creek war ; he was a 
wonderfully accurate rifle shot, as he had shown in 
many a shooting match, and in his extraordinary 
hunting exploits ; he was free-hearted, abounding 
with quaint amusing stories, and with a natural 
readiness of wit and fun, which never deserted him. 
In fact he was one of the people, with natural 
qualities which led them to look upon him as their 
especial champion. 

Besides, he had already served one term with 
credit in the Legislature, and there was never a 
whisper uttered against his honesty. 

When the people, at the merrymakings, or at the 
old-fashioned inn, or in the village stores, or on the 
corners, gathered to discuss politics, it was inevita- 
ble that the sturdy figure of the gallant Crockett — 
the embodiment of fun, wit, bravery, and integrity, 
should be referred to in admiring terms by the 
majority of these men, many of whom had gone 
through similar experiences, and all of whom could 
appreciate the sterling qualities of the famous Ten- 
nessean. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 85 

It was something more than a week after this 
trip of Crockett to Jackson, that a man stopped in 
front of his cabin and told him he was a candidate 
for the Legislature. The backwoodsman was cer- 
tain there was some mistake about it, but his in- 
formant drew a newspaper from his pocket, and 
showed him where he was announced in large type 
as one an^dous for legislative honors. 

Crockett was angered, for with all his roughness 
of speech and manner, he was sensitive. He be- 
lieved this was intended as a burlesque, and many- 
were seeking to hold him up to ridicule. He told 
his wife that he would make the joke a dear one to 
them. He hired a young man to run the farm 
while he started out to electioneer for himself. He 
had acquired the* art in his previous experience, 
and his opponents might well look with apprehen- 
sion upon his candidacy. 

It was not long before he began to make himself 
well known through the county. He made a good 
impression everywhere he went, and people soon 
began talking about the bear-hunter — the back- 
woodsman and the Tennessean from the cane- 
brakes. This continued and increased until the 
three opposing candidates were compelled to see 
that he was looming up so prominently that he was 
already stronger than any single one of them. 

They consulted together, therefore, and it was 
agreed that at the Spring Term of Court to be 
held in March, they would have a conference or 
caucus, and two were to withdraw in favor of the 
strongest. »? 



86 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

As may be supposed, each of the three exerted 
himself to the utmost to secure the nomination, 
but it fell to Dr. Butler, the relative of General 
Jackson, who was talented and popular, and for 
whom Crockett entertained a strong personal 
liking. It followed now, as a matter of course, 
that all united in opposition to Crockett's can- 
didacy. * 

It required just such a situation to bring out the 
mettle of the backwoodsman, and he threw himself 
into the canvass with a heartiness which threat- 
ened to carry everything before him. Dr. But- 
ler's relationship with General Jackson helped him 
greatly, for the star of Old Hickory never shone 
brighter than in those days, more than half a cen- 
tury ago. 

The meeting at which the candidate was to be 
selected was held\ in Madison County, which was 
the strongest in the representative district that was 
composed of eleven counties. 

Crockett's account of his canvass for himself is 
very entertaining. At the time, Colonel Alexander 
was a candidate for Congress. He was a warm 
friend of Crockett, and introduced him to many. 
At a public meeting, w^hile Crockett was talking 
with a number of new acquaintances made in 
this manner. Dr. Butler, his competitor, walked 
briskly by, nodding to a number of his friends, 
but failing to salute Crockett. The latter was 
sure the Doctor did not recognize him, and he 
called out to him demanding what he meant by 
saihng by at that rate. As the astonished gentle- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 8/ 

man faced about, the backwoodsman, in his laugh- 
ing, hearty manner, said : 

" Well, Doctor, I suppose they have weighed you 
out to me, but I should like to know why they 
fixed your election in March, instead of August. 
That's a new style of doing business — taking it out- 
of the people's hands and settling it by caucus." 

By this time, Dr. Butler recognized the man be- 
fore him, and offering his hand called out, 

" Why, Crockett, is that you ? " 

'' Of course it is," was the answer, " but I want 
you to understand that I havn't come out here to 
electioneer for myself. I've just crawled out of 
the cane to take a look at the white folks and see 
what I can see. When I do start in the election- 
eering business, I will make it a point to leave 
every man in as good circumstances as I found 
him." 

'' How is that ? " 

"I will have a large buck-skin hunting-shirt 
made, with two pockets, each holding about a peck. 
In one I will place a bottle of whiskey, and in the 
other a big twist of tobacco." , 

** Where is the particular advantage of that ? " 

"When I ask a man to take a drink, he will 
throw away his quid. After his drink, I will give 
him a fresh chew, and so you see he will be no 
poorer than when I first met him." 

The bystanders laughed at this idea, and Butler 
said, '' Colonel, you can beat me electioneering. I 
fear I wouldn't have much chance if you should 
start in against me." 



88 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

''You'll have better evidence of that before 
August, for when I start in I will make things 
lively. You've got many advantages over me ; 
you've plenty of money, and are a relative of Old 
Hickory, but I'm going in on. the products of the 
country. I've got industrious children, and the 
best of coon dogs, and they will hunt all day and 
night, to help my election. When coon fur is'nt 
worth anything, I'll take to the woods for wolves, 
for each one's scalp is good for three dollars." 

Crockett went on in this strain for several min- 
utes, while the bystanders laughed and Dr. But- 
ler seemed as much amused and astonished as any 
of them. He could not begin to hold his own 
with such a voluble talker as Crockett, and he did 
little but listen and laugh with the rest, who broke 
into a regular roar when the backwoodsman had 
finished. 

It was such work as this that told in favor of 
Crockett, who gave his whole energies to prose- 
cuting his own canvass. 

As the canvass progressed, two other candidates 
entered the field, and politics absorbed the exclu- 
sive attention of the entire district for the time 
being. 

How well Colonel Crockett did his work, may be 
gathered from the simple statement that he beat 
all the candidates by two hundred and forty-seven 
votes. Not only that, but he served the succeed- 
ing term from his district. This was in the years 
1823 and 1824. 

He served for four successive years in the Legis- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 89 

lature, notwithstanding he moved during the time 
more than one hundred and fifty miles, and was, 
consequently, dependent upon strangers for his 
second election. This is a forcible truth of the 
great power of his talent for electioneering. 

While in the Legislature, there was a bill before 
it for the creation of a county. The author of it 
wished to run the boundary line, so as to support 
his popularity ; to this the Colonel was opposed, 
because his interest was affected by it. They were 
hammering at it for some time ; whatever the 
author of the bill would effect by speaking, the 
Colonel would undo by log-rolling ; until the matter 
was drawing to a close, when he rose and made the 
following speech : 

*' Mr. Speaker, — Do you know what that man's 
bill reminds me of? Well, I 'spose you don't, so 
I'll tell you. Well, Mr. Speaker, when I first come 
to this country, a blacksmith was a rare thing ; but 
there happened to be one in my neighborhood ; he 
had no striker, and whenever one of the neighbors 
wanted any work done, he had to go over and 
strike till his work was finished. These were hard 
times, Mr. Speaker, but we had tc^ do the best we 
could. It happened that one of my neighbors 
wanted an axe, so he took along with him a piece 
of iron, and went over to the blacksmith's to strike 
till his axe was done. The iron was heated, and 
my neighbor fell to work, and was striking there 
nearly all day; when the blacksmith concluded the 
iron wouldn't make an axe, but 'twould make a 
fine mattock ; so my neighbor, wanting a mattock, 



90 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

concluded he would go over and strike till his mat- 
tock was done ; accordingly, he went over the next 
day, and worked faithfully ; but towards night the 
blacksmith concluded his iron wouldn't make a 
mattock, but 'twould make a fine ploughshare ; so 
my neighbor, wanting a ploughshare, agreed that he 
would go over the next day and strike till that was 
done ; accordingly, he again went over, and fell 
hard to work; but towards night the blacksmith 
concluded his iron wouldn't make a ploughshare, 
but 'twould make a fine skow ; so my neighbor, 
tired of working, cried, a skow let it be — and the 
blacksmith, taking up the red-hot iron, threw it 
into a trough of water near him, and as it fell in, 
it sung out ^ skow' And this, Mr. Speaker, will be 
the way with that man's bill for a county; he'll 
keep you all here doing nothing, and finally his bill 
will turn out a skow, — now mind if it don't." 

It was during the first session of Crockett's repre- 
sentation from his new district that he showed his 
independence in political, as well as in personal 
matters. 

The term of Colonel John Williams, as United 
States Senator from Tennessee had expired, and 
he was a candidate for re-election. He had done 
his duty acceptably, and Colonel Crockett sympa- 
thized with him, for, in his judgment, there was no 
reason why he should be defeated. Several can- 
didates were proposed, but the popularity of the 
Colonel was so great that it was finally admitted 
that there was but one man in the country who 
could beat him, and that was General Andrew 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 9 1 

Jackson. Although the General was in nomination 
for the Presidency, he did not hesitate to '' take 
the responsibility,'' and he became a candidate. 

He received ten more votes than Williams, and 
was elected. But Colonel Crockett, who was then 
warmly attached to his old chief, voted against him 
because he saw no reason for doing otherwise. 

It was an unpopular and dangerous thing to vote 
against General Jackson, as Crockett found to his 
cost, not many years afterward ; but nothing could 
induce the honest Tennessean to record his vote in 
favor of a measure or movement which was con- 
trary to his convictions of justice. 

He was taken to task by many of his constitu- 
ents for his vote against the " Gineral," but he 
notified them he had acted in accordance with his 
convictions, that he would never wear a collar 
around his neck, and Colonel Crockett never did. 

The confidence in the integrity of the gentleman 
from the backwoods was shown by his re-election 
with scarcely any opposition at the next session of 
the Legislature. 

Indeed, it is proven still more emphatically by 
the request of the district that Crockett would run 
for Congress. Colonel Alexander, their represen- 
tative, had given great offence by his vote on the 
tariff law, and there was a general turning toward 
the honest backwoodsman, who could be relied 
upon at all times, and under all circumstances, to 
do that which he believed to be right. 

But, when the proposition was made to Crockett, 
he shrank back in dismay. The thought of going 



92 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

to Congress fairly took away his breath, and he 
assured his friends that he could not consent to it. 
But, when a politician talks in that fashion, he is 
close upon the point of yielding. Colonel Crockett 
became a candidate. 

But the stars in their courses fought against him 
on this occasion. It was the year when cotton 
brought twenty-five dollars a hundred. Colonel 
Alexander explained that it was due entirely to 
the tariff law which he supported so ardently when 
in Congress, and that the line of poHcy laid out by 
himself would result in bringing a much higher 
price for all their products. 

No species of argument is more convincing than 
this, no matter how baseless it may be. Colonel 
Crockett made the most gallant fight possible, but 
he was placed at an exceptional disadvantage. 

When the election came off. Colonel Alexander 
was elected to Congress by just two votes majority 
above Crockett. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 93 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Exploits of Colonel Crockett as a Bear Hunter. 

The two years served by Colonel Crockett's 
successful opponent in Congress were passed by 
the backwoodsman without any noteworthy events, 
so far as the public career of the man is concerned, 
and yet, in another respect, they were, to many, 
probably the most interesting period of his life, for 
he has left on record an account of some of the 
most astonishing bear hunts in which any hunter 
was ever engaged. 

Colonel Crockett, like many a man in his circum- 
stances, was blind to his own unfitness for anything 
like a business transaction of any moment. He 
was simply a humorous and brave bear-hunter, 
who was personally pure and honest, and yet who 
ought never to have been a member of Congress. 
No' thoughtful man can help feeling that his pres- 
ence among the lawmakers of the nation was in the 
nature of a farce, though it must be admitted that 
in many respects he was the superior of some of his 
colleagues. 

In the autumn of 1 82$, Crockett entered into a 
lumber speculation, his plan being to build two 
large boats, and load them with pipe-staves for the 
market. The lake was some twenty-five miles dis- 
tant. Thither he went, and hired a number of men 



94 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

to build the boats, and get out the staves. Crockett 
himself worked until he knew the bears in the 
woods were fat, and in prime condition. 

It did not take him a great while to procure all 
the meat his family needed for a long time ; and, 
when one of his neighbors asked him to lend a 
hand in the same business, or rather amusement, 
the Tennessean was only too glad to comply. 

The hunt was an extensive one, for Crockett was 
engaged for two weeks, accompanied by his eight 
trained hounds. He averaged a bear a day, and 
having supplied his friend with far more than he 
expected, he returned to his boat-building and 
stave-making. 

He wrought steadily, until the old yearning be- 
came irresistible. Accompanied by his young son, 
he started across the lake, with a view of hunting 
in that section. When night came, the hunt was 
begun in earnest, and in a short time Crockett 
killed three bears. Wolves were pFenty, and in the 
morning the Colonel erected a strong scaffold, upon 
which the carcases were placed, after being salted. 
This was done with a view of keeping them beyond 
the reach of the wolves, who were always hungry 
and on the lookout for such choice delicacies. 

The morning meal was hardly concluded, when 
he and his son were visited by a party of hunters, 
with a large pack of dogs, so emaciated and woe- 
begone in appearance that Crockett broke into 
laughter, and asked whether any of them could 
bark without leaning up against a tree to rest. He 
suggested that they should stay at the camp 'and 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 95 

feed the poor curs on some of the bones which 
he had thrown away. 

The suggestion seemed to strike the callers as 
a good one, and they remained behind, while 
Crockett and his boy set out to continue their 
hunt. 

They were in an excellent region, and had not 
gone far when the hounds started up a large he- 
bear, which made directly for the camp just left by 
the man and boy. They followed hard after him, 
but he ran into the arms, so to speak, of the other 
party, who shot him before Crockett could get 
within range. The Tennessean willingly resigned 
all claim upon him, and headed for Big Clover 
Creek, not far away. 

Just as the hunter reached the stream and was 
about entering a cane-brake, his dogs all broke and 
went ahead, their short sharp yelps speedily an- 
nouncing they had struck the trail of some kind of 
game. These sounds speedily told Crockett that 
the hounds had divided into two parties, and both 
had their " hands full." 

He sent his little boy to look after one, while 
the father hurried toward the other. Reaching the 
spot where his dogs were making such a rumpus, 
he found they had a two-year old bear upon the 
ground, with the five canines furiously attacking 
him. Deeming the game scarcely worth expending 
a shot upon, Crockett stepped quickly forward and 
dispatched him with his knife. 

Just then, the report of the boy's gun was heard, 
and when the father reached the spot, the lad had 



96 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

also killed his animal. The elder hunter had 
scarcely time to compliment the pluck of his son, 
or rather his skill, for Crockett took such things 
as a matter of course, when one of the dogs was 
heard barking a short distance away. 

Immediately the rest of the hounds broke for 
him, while Crockett and his boy were close in the 
rear. The single dog had treed a bear which was 
very large and' ready for fight ; but his position 
placed him at the mercy of the backwoodsman, 
who speedily sent a bullet through his heart, and 
brought him tumbling to the ground. 

Thus they had killed three bears within a half- 
hour, an exploit which few of the most successful 
hunters of the present day have equaled, or can 
equal. 

As. was his rule, Crockett proceeded to dress the 
prizes at once. Then he set out to find some water 
and a good place to camp for the night. He' had 
taken a dozen steps perhaps, when the dogs sud- 
denly scented something again, and were off like so 
many meteors. Crockett forgot his thirst on the 
instant, and dashed after them. But the trail 
proved such a long one, that he gave it up and 
started back. 

Proceeding in this leisurely fashion, Crockett 
came upon a poor, sickly looking man, languidly 
grubbing in the woods. When asked why he was 
thus employed, he said he was working for a per- 
son who intended to settle there. He added that 
he had no meat for his family, and was seeking to 
earn some from his employer. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 97 

The woe-begone appearance of the poor fellow 
excited the sympathy of Crockett, who told him 
that if he would go with him, he would speedily 
secure more meat than he could earn in a month 
grubbing. The fellow looked wonderingly at the 
hunter, and then, saying he had never seen a bear 
killed, he went to his cabin a short distance away 
in the wood, and told his wife of the proposi- 
tion. She was anxious to have him accept it, and 
he did so. 

Accompanied by the grateful stranger, the hunter 
led the way back to where the three bears had 
been killed, and started a fire. The carcasses were 
then salted and scaffolded, but the dogs continued 
invisible. They had followed the scent they struck 
to such a distance, that their cries could not be 
heard. Crockett afterwards ascertained that they 
had treed a bear near a settler's cabin, and kept 
barking at it all night, doubtless wondering what 
kept their master away so long. 

At daylight, the settler living near, went out 
and shot the bear. Crockett and his forlorn-look- 
ing friend set out on another hunt. When the 
former entered upon such amusement, it became 
very serious for the bears in the neighborhood. 
Before nightfall he had shot four more, and at the 
end of the week, he had killed seventeen. The 
grateful stranger was absolutely astounded at the 
extraordinary success of Crockett, who seemed to 
have no difficulty at all in bringing down a bear 
whenever he started to do so. 

At the termination of the hunt, the man was 



98 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID. CROCKETT. 

given a thousand pounds of good, fat bear-meat, 
and he was scarcely able to express his gratitude. 
Crockett met him a year later, when he looked 
plump and in good spirits, saying that the meat 
secured on that single hunt lasted his family the 
entire year. 

For the time being, it seemed as if the fates in- 
tended Colonel Crockett to be a bear-hunter and 
nothing more. He had scarcely reached home, 
when one of his neighbors said he was entirely out 
of meat, and asked the Colonel to take him upon a 
bear-hunt. If there was any request in the world 
which it was hard for the Tennessean to refuse, it 
was of that nature, and he agreed to do as his 
friend wished. 

He told him, however, that it was so late in the 
season, they were likely to find the bears had gone 
into winter quarters. A curious fact connected 
with these creatures is, that they hibernate for 
something like three months in each year. Those 
in the latitude of Tennessee generally take this 
long sleep from the first of January until April. 
At the beginning they are generally fat from the 
abundance of food secured in the autumn. They 
crawl into hollow trees or caves, where they sink 
into a somnolent state, and the only sustenance 
received during the long period is from sucking 
the bottom of their paw, — if indeed it can be 
said they receive any sort of nourishment from 
that source. 

During their hibernation, of course, they are 
living upon their surplus fat. When they venture 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 99 

forth in spring they are lean, hungry, and fierce; 
and if the reader is not a very experienced hunter, 
we suggest that it is just as well to let bruin alone 
at that season. He doesn't take any interference 
or molestation in good part. 

Crockett set out on this hunt accompanied by 
his neighbor and his own little boy, who promised 
to become as great a hunter as his father. The lad 
was already a skillful shot, and he was gaining an 
experience which was of inestimable value to 
him. 

They went to the section where the seventeen 
bears had been killed, and the three began business 
in earnest. They toiled hard and patiently the 
entire day, but never started one. It looked in- 
deed as if the great inroad made the week before, 
had frightened off the few survivors left behind. 

The provisions taken along with them soon gave 
out, and Crockett sent his boy to a settler's cabin 
some three miles away, to procure meat. The 
people who were scattered through the west and 
southwest were always hospitable, and abundant 
food was furnished the lad. At the same time, 
the settler expressed his pleasure to learn that the 
two hunters were after bears. He told the lad 
they had been very troublesome, and had killed a 
good many of his hogs. He urged Crockett's son 
to bring his father and his friend to his house that 
evening, promising to give them good accom- 
modations, and furnish his dogs all the meat they 
could want. 

But when the boy got back, his father and 



lOO LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

friend were after a bear, which was found to have 
taken refuge in a large cane, where, as is their cus- 
tom, he had constructed a sort of cabin in which to 
take his long, winter sleep. 

The dogs were afraid to venture in until their 
master urged them, when they made a rush, and 
the sleepy monster the next minute came scram- 
bling out. Crockett's neighbor was so eager to 
kill a bear, that he was given the shot, which was 
fatal at once. 

The carcase was dragged back to camp, where 
the hunter found his boy awaiting him. They 
spent the night with a friend who lived near, and, 
having salted their meat, the next morning con- 
tinued their hunt. 

The section selected lay between Obion river 
and Red Foot Lake. There was a large lot of 
timber that had been leveled and strewn about by 
a recent tornado, and it was among this that 
Crockett expected to find the royal game for which 
he was searching. 

Five miles were ridden without detecting the 
least sign, and the hunters were beginning to doubt 
the success of their enterprise, when they entered 
some high ridges where the cane was abundant. 
Crockett's eye rested upon a huge black oak, with 
a big hole in the upper portion. It was just the 
place that would attract the favorable view of a 
bear seeking winter quarters, and the Tennessean 
made an investigation. 

The bark was clawed and scratched in a way 
which proved that one of the beasts had ascended 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. lOI 

the trunk. But there were no marks to show he 
had come down again. The inference was plain : 
the bear was within the tree. 

A bear in climbing a tree does not slip, his long 
sharp nails holding firmly ; but in coming down he 
slips continually, so that it is easy to tell whether 
he has descended the tree or not. 

The friend had gone ahead some distance, but 
the leader called him back, saying they had found a 
tree with a bear within, and it would never do to al- 
low such a golden opportunity to pass unimproved. 

Crockett's plan was to cut another tree, so it 
would fall against the oak. The one selected was 
so slight that it could be easily climbed, and the 
boy was to go up and take a look in the hole to 
make sure the bear was within. 

Accordingly Crockett began chopping down the 
smaller tree, but was not half through, when the 
savage barking of the dogs near at hand convinced 
their master that they had come upon the winter 
quarters of another bruin. 

Crockett was so certain upon this point, that the 
two abandoned the cutting of the tree and hast- 
ened away to where the dogs were making such an 
ado. Sure enough, when they reached the spot, 
a large bear was seen up a tree, just in the position 
for shooting. Yielding to his friend's earnest re- 
quest, Crockett allowed him to fire, and the huge 
unwieldy mass came tumbling heavily to the 
ground. 

At this juncture the Colonel noticed that his 
best dog was missing, and believing he would not 



102 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

be absent at such a time unless he was engaged in 
important business, his owner went to a piece of 
high ground to listen. He heard him barking at 
no great distance, and instantly pushed his way 
through the wood toward him. 

When he reached the spot, the other dogs were 
ahead of him, and sure enough, another bear was 
seen up the tree. A single shot from Crockett's 
rifle ended his career, and he then went back to his 
friends to finish butchering the first bear killed. 

They next proceeded to where the boy had been 
left chopping the tree. It had fallen, but in the 
wrong direction, and the lad then attacked the oak 
itself with his axe. To his surprise, he found it to 
consist only of a thin shell, through which it was 
easy to cut. Leaving his boy and friend to con- 
tinue cutting, Crockett moved off about a hundred 
yards with the hounds, so as to keep them from 
being injured by the falling tree. 

By this time the noise and racket aroused the 
bear from his slumbers, and, climbing up the in- 
terior of his house, he thrust his nose and head out 
of the door, and looked inquiringly down at the 
people cutting away at the foundation, as if seek- 
ing to learn what their purpose could be. 

The poor fellow soon learned. Growing sus- 
picious, he carefully crawled out from his quarters 
and was descending, when a single ball brought 
him tumbling like a log to the ground, where the 
dogs instantly flew at him like so many tigers. 
Wounded as the brute was, he would have made 
havoc among the canines, had not Crockett, at the 



LIFE. OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. IO3 

critical moment, sent another bullet into him 
which ended his struggles at once. 

The three bears were salted and placed on scaf- 
folds to keep them out of the reach of wolves, and 
the little party went into camp. 

In the morning the boy was left behind, and the 
two men started in the direction of the fallen tim- 
bers, which were some three miles away. When 
the section was reached, it was impassable for their 
horses, and the hunters, therefore, dismounted and 
began picking their way through the " harricane," 
as Crockett called it. 

They were thus engaged, when they came di- 
rectly face to face with a bear. The latter con- 
cluded it was his place to turn out of the road, 
and immediately made off. Crockett's friend, 
with several of the dogs, followed him, while the 
leader himself started in another direction, his 
dogs' cries showing they had treed some kind of 
an anirnal. 

At about the middle of the fallen timbers, the 
hounds brought the bear to bay upon the top of a 
broken tree,, perhaps twenty feet high. Crockett 
was so tired and trembling from his severe exer- 
tions, that when he fired, he only broke the 
shoulder of the brute. It brought him to the 
ground, however, where a second shot finished 
him. 

The neighbor appeared a few minutes later, and 
leaving him to dress the bear, Crockett set out for 
their horses, with a view to bring them as closely 
as possible to the spot. The animals were loaded 



104 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

with all they could carry, and the two started back, 
reaching camp at sunset, where the boy was found 
patiently awaiting them. 

It would be supposed that by this time, Colonel 
Crockett had had enough hunting for one day, and 
would be glad to obtain rest, but he was always 
ready for such royal amusement — amusement in 
fact that could never lose its charm to him. 

But when almost within camp, the dogs' cries 
fired him again, and leaping off his horse, he started 
after them as eagerly as he had done in the invig- 
orating hours of the morning. He was thus en- 
gaged, when night came on. The woods were 
rough and hilly, and the fallen timbers and cracks 
in the earth — caused by something like an earth- 
quake shock — compelled him to use the utmost 
care and caution to prevent himself from falling so 
violently over some obstruction as to break his 
gun. 

We cannot believe that one professional hunter 
in a thousand, after spending the entire day in the 
most arduous pursuit, and when close to the wel- 
come camp as night was closing in,, would have 
turned about and tramped through fallen timber, 
dense cane and undergrowth, being compelled fre- 
quently to crawl for long distances on his hands 
and knees — while the air was freezingly cold — and 
all for the sake of gaining another shot at a bear — 
such prospect being very slight indeed. 

But Colonel Davy Crockett was just the hunter 
to do this, and the reader will join with us in say- 
ing that it was not the first time he had proven 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 10$ 

that he possessed an indomitable determination in 
the execution of any plan, such as was never sur- 
passed, and is very seldom equalled. 

The pluck, resolution, and tenacity of pur- 
pose of Crockett were nothing less than mar- 
velous. 

For fully three miles he picked his way in this 
difficult manner, and then suddenly found him- 
self on the edge of an unknown stream of water. 
Its width and depth being conjectural, it will be 
taken for granted that he turned back. 

Such a thought we are warranted in supposing 
never entered his head. He scarcely hesitated, 
but stepped into the creek, and began wading 
across. The water was like ice, and rose to his 
knees, but he was so warm and perspiring from his 
recent severe exertion, that the sensation was not 
specially discomforting ; but one shudders to think 
of the risk to his health thus run — a risk which 
would be certain to produce serious results with 
most people. 

The barking of the dogs continued from one 
point — showing they had treed their game, and the 
hunter pushed on until he found himself part way 
up a hill, which became so steep, that he was forced 
to stop. He groped along the creek till he found 
a depression, by whose aid he was able to flank the 
hill, so to speak ; but in the darkness he passed the 
dogs, and spent considerable more time before he 
could reach them. 

There was no moon or stars, and the night, 
consequently, was very dark ; but when Crockett 



I06 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

at last found his way to the spot, he saw the 
hounds were barking at the base of a huge, forked 
poplar. 

Casting his experienced eye to the fork above, 
the hunter could dimly discern a dark mass which 
he knew was a bear. It did not move, but was 
evidently looking down upon the man and dogs 
below. The view being so indistinct, Crockett 
could not make his aim sure, and he set about to 
gather fuel with which to start a fire. 

Even this could not be obtained, and, as there 
was no other course left to him, he decided to 
shoot by guess. The best he could do was to fire 
at the dark mass, which he did. The result was 
that bruin, instead of falling, climbed higher, and 
made his way out on a limb. This was a good 
thing for the hunter below, as it brought the game 
in partial relief against the sky, and his aim was 
thereby assisted. 

But a second shot did not move him, and 
Crockett began loading for a third shot. While 
thus engaged, there was a thunderous thump at 
his side, and he saw that his game had landed, and 
was fighting savagely with the dogs that were 
furiously assailing him. 

It was not the occasion for another shot, and 
Crockett drew his knife, and held himself ready to 
use it the instant the bear should assault him. 
One of his hounds was white in color, and was the 
only object the owner could perceive : all the rest 
was a black, struggling mass. 

The ground was intersected in many places by 



LIFE -OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 10/ 

the large seams which the earthquake shock had 
left, and it was not long before the bear rolled into 
one of them ; but he still kept up his defence with 
such fury that the hunter shoved the muzzle of his 
rifle against him, and pulled the trigger. It pro- 
duced no tangible result, however, except to induce 
him to struggle out of the gap to the surface. He 
soon dropped back, however, and the fight con- 
tinued until Crockett lost all patience, and, spring- 
ing down in the crack, stooped beneath the beast, 
felt along his shaggy body until he found the right 
spot, and then drove his knife to his heart. 

The weather was intensely cold, and the hunter's 
leathern breeches, wetted in crossing the creek, 
were frozen stiff. But putting forth his great 
strength, he succeeded in drawing the bear from 
the gap in the earth, by which time he was suffer- 
ing so much, that he felt he must build a fire to 
keep from freezing. 

■ But, strive as much as he might, his material was 
so poor, he could not get enough flame to warm 
him, so he resorted to exercise. Springing to his 
feet, he yelled and danced several jigs, more no- 
ticeable for their vigor than their grace. This 
might have answered under ordinary circumstances, 
but his limbs were so thoroughly tired from his 
severe exertions of the day, that he suffered more, 
while putting forth his eftorts in that direction, 
than from cold. 

When he paused, he found he was becoming 
so benumbed, that he was in imminent danger 
of freezing to death. He threw wood on the 



I08 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

fire, but it was so green that the Httle heat served 
only as a distressing aggravation. 

Despite his furious efforts in the way of exer- 
cise, he was becoming chilled through and through. 
Colonel Crockett possessed an iron constitution, 
but the intensely cold weather was too much for 
him, and he saw as never before, that he was close 
to death. 

Something desperate must be done at once, and 
he did it. Stumbling to a tall tree of narrow girth, 
he climbed vigorously to the top, and then, hug- 
ging it as tightly as was prudent, allowed himself 
to slip to the ground again. 

This violent friction of his limbs warmed them, 
and helped to keep the spark of life from leaving 
his body. 

Incredible as it may seem, he continued this 
strange exercise all through the night. The 
warmth thus gained would last only a few min- 
utes, when up the tree he would go, and, when' 
he had labored to the branches near the top, 
down he would slide, with a rough swiftness which 
stirred the blood all through his system. It might 
be termed a species of coasting, though there was 
little enjoyment in it. 

It served, however, to preserve the life of the 
Tennessean, when it is more than probable that 
otherwise he would have perished. 

When daylight came at last, Crockett managed 
to get his game hung up safely, and then set out 
for camp. His friend and boy were found there, 
glad enough to see him, for they had concluded he 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. lOQ 

had gone astray. The bears* in the vicinity were 
scaffolded, and the three then started for the one 
last killed by Crockett. 

When the neighbor saw the fight made for the 
animal, and especially the descent of the hunter 
into the yawn in the earth, where he forced him- 
self directly beneath the savage brute, he declared 
that he would not have run such a risk for all the 
bears in the Tennessee woods. 

The day was principally spent in salting the 
game already shot, the intention being to resume 
the hunt on the following morning. When night 
came again, Crockett found himself in such sore 
need of rest that he stretched out upon the earth 
by the camp fire, feehng as though he could sleep 
a week. 

But his slumbers were disturbed by a most start- 
ling cause — being nothing less than an earthquake. 
The earth was violently shaken ; and, as may well 
be supposed, the hunters were terrified. They 
were in the region where occurred the remarkable 
earthquake of 1811, and there could be no mistake 
about the second shock. The sensation of the 
ground swaying back and forth beneath them was 
of that nature that it would jar the nerves of the 
bravest man. The violence subsided after awhile, 
and they slept undisturbed through the rest of the 
night. 

In the morning the hunters assumed the offen- 
sive again, and in the course of a few hours had 
killed two more bears, making ten altogether. 

As they had but five horses with them, they had 



no LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

now secured all the meat they could carry to their 
homes, distant full thirty miles, and they loaded up 
and started on their return. 

Up to that period, Colonel Crockett had killed 
fifty-eight bears, during the fall and winter. In 
the spring, as soon as the fierce creatures ventured 
forth again, he resumed hunting. In the course of 
a month, he shot forty-seven more, which brings 
the sum total of the bears killed by the great back- 
woodsman in less than a year, to the astounding 
figures — 105. 

And with this statement, we feel it is appropri- 
ate to close the record of Colonel Davy Crockett as 
a bear-hunter. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. lU 



CHAPTER X. 

Crockett's Lumber Speculation— On the Mississippi — An Over- 
whelming Disaster and Narrow Escape from Drowning. 

It will be remembered that Colonel Crockett 
was engaged in a lumber speculation at the time of 
beginning his remarkable bear-hunts, described in 
the previous chapter. 

The labors of the famous backwoodsman with 
his men did not amount to a great deal, and when 
he returned to them, they were about ready for 
the voyage. Two boats were loaded with 30,000 
staves, and they started down the river to New- 
Orleans with them. 

There was little difficulty in getting out of the 
Obion, but when they entered the Mississippi, they 
found good cause for alarm. It is well known that 
the most skillful pilots in- the world are needed to 
conduct a craft through the dangerous windings 
and turnings of the Father of Waters — with the in- 
numerable snags, sawyers, shifting bars, and treach- 
erous currents ; and it did not take Crockett long 
to discover that the man whom he engaged as a 
pilot, and w^ho professed to know all about the 
channel, was absolutely ignorant of his duties. 

All were excessively frightened, and Crockett 
states that the most scared one among them was 
himself. Thinking it best they should all meet 



112 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

their fate together, he lashed the two boats side by- 
side. 

But this only made matters worse, for the crafts 
became practically unmanageable. The terrified 
lumbermen toiled and trembled, and did the best 
they could until nightfall, when they fell in with 
some Ohio boats. ' 

As it grew dark, Crockett thought it was a good 
time to land, and the crews made a desperate effort 
to do so. But they were utterly unable to check 
their boats, which were swinging down the Missis- 
sippi with alarming momentum. At the critical 
moment, the Ohio men shouted to Crockett to 
keep running all night, and he concluded to adopt 
the suggestion, for the good reason that no choice 
was left to him. 

At no great distance below, they were caught in 
the '' Devil's Elbow," and Crockett was sure he 
never knew of a more appropriate name in all his 
life. He and his men tugged and panted until 
they were ready to drop from exhaustion, but they 
were in the most extreme peril all the while. More 
than once, each concluded that his only chance for 
life was a fierce struggle in the water, where the 
prospect of their getting out was but one in a 
thousand. 

At last they swung through the horrible '' El- 
bow," and, believing that any place was preferable 
to the Mississippi — that is, when verdant back- 
woodsmen were situated as were they — they made 
another effort to effect a landing. They failed, and 
then they tried again. Failing as before, they gave 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. II 3 

over the attempt, and with a grim sort of despair, 
concluded to let things drift, and to be prepared, as 
best they could, for the general smash up which all 
believed was close at hand. 

So it proved. 

The worn out Crockett after awhile went down 
into the cabin of his boat, and sat by the fire to 
meditate how much superior hunting bears in the 
Tennessee canebrakes was to this aimless floating 
on a treacherous river. His craft was speeding 
sideways swiftly down stream, the one in which 
Crockett himself was seated being in the rear. 

There was too much danger impending to sleep, 
and, no matter how tired the men might be, there 
was no opportunity given them. 

Crockett was in this disgusted mood when, all at 
once, he heard the men running hurriedly over the 
deck, and pulling with might and main. A few 
seconds later, the boat went broadside against an 
island where a large raft of timber had lodged. 

A more alarming situation cannot be imagined. 
The tendency of the current was to draw both 
boats under the rafts, where there would be no 
possible escape for the inmates. Crockett under- 
stood his danger like a flash, and, springing to his 
feet, found the craft was going under, sure enough. 
He leaped to the hatchway, but a mass of water 
was pouring in, and it was impossible to force his 
way through it. 

Remembering a large aperture in the side which 
had been used to dip water through before the 
boats were lashed together, he made for that. But 



114 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

the craft was turned so that it was only with the 
greatest difficulty he was enabled to reach it. When 
he did so, it was found too small for him to force 
his body through, but it was his only hope, for the 
water was rushing in like a millstream behind him. 

Thrusting his hands through, he yelled for his 
friends to help him. Several caught hold of his 
arms and began pulling with might and main, but 
his body caught fast. 

"Harder! harder!" commanded Crockett, ''and 
be quick about it, for the water is rising to my 
neck ; pull my arms off if necessary ! " 

Thus urged, they made a tremendous effort, and 
he was drawn through. Nearly all his clothing was 
torn from his body, but he was thankful enough to 
escape with his life from the awful fate that im- 
pended but a few seconds before. 

Crockett's rescue was scarcely accomplished, when 
his boat was sucked under the raft, as if caught in 
a maelstrom. The men leaped aboard the raft, 
where they sat all night, within a mile of land. 
Most of the company were bareheaded, and three 
were without any covering for their feet. Among 
the latter was the future member of Congress. 

And yet, despite his pitiable predicament, Crock- 
ett said he never felt happier, for his delivery from 
an appalling death was so wonderful that it kept 
his heart continually warmed with gratitude. 

The crew were sturdy characters, who had lived 
in the backwoods, and were accustomed to priva- 
tion and suffering. So they gathered in a group 
and cheered each other as best they could, with 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I15 

jest and story, while they waited for the long night 
to end. 

Colonel Crockett would have been required to 
pay a large premium to secure an insurance on his 
cargo at that moment ; and when he looked rue- 
fully at the head of the raft, where the gurghng 
waters gave no sign of the two boats that had sunk 
forever from his sight, he was forced to admit that 
his first venture in sending staves to the New Or- 
leans market was not of a nature to encourage him 
to continue in the business. 

At sunrise they descried a boat coming down 
the river, and hailed it. A skiff was sent out to 
the shipwrecked lumbermen, and they were all 
taken aboard and carried down to Memphis, in 
which city a good Samaritan was found in the per- 
son of a Major Winchester, who furnished all with 
clothing and necessary funds. 

Crockett and one of his crew went to Natchez to 
make inquiries concerning the larger boat, which 
they supposed had floated from under the raft. 
He was told that it had been seen about fifty miles 
below Memphis. An attempt had been made to 
land it, but without success. 

This ended the career of Colonel Crockett as a 
lumber merchant. 



Il6 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XL 

Colonel Crockett's Successful Candidacy for Congress — Serves 
Two Terms — His Opposition to General Jackson defeats 
another Re-election — Unfair and Desperate Means used to pre- 
vent his Success — He is elected for a Third Term. 

Colonel David Crockett now enters upon 
the career which, a half century ago, made him one 
of the most famous men in the entire country. His 
previous Hfe had been mainly spent in hunting 
bears, fighting Indians, with an occasional interval 
of manual labor, and he now assumes a part which 
should receive (alas, how rarely it does !) the pro- 
foundest study and efforts of statesmen. 

In the month of August succeeding the adven- 
tures described in the preceding chapter, the Con- 
gressional election came off in Tennessee. The 
backwoodsman, while hunting and toiling, had 
meditated upon the honors which he so narrowly 
escaped, and having had a taste, as may be said, of 
the intoxication of public office, he determined to 
enter the political fight against not only his old 
opponent, Colonel Alexander, but also General 
Arnold. 

The fight upon which Crockett entered was a 
formidable one ; for, in the first place, he had no 
funds, and in this free country of ours, a political 
candidate in that plight, is like a shipwrecked 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 11/ 

mariner in mid-ocean, without boat or plank to 
cling to. 

However, a good friend turned up at the right 
moment, and voluntarily proffered the backwoods- 
man all the money he was likely to need, while he 
put in a good word for him whenever the oppor- 
tunity presented. 

The peculiar results of this canvass may be un- 
derstood, when it is remembered that Colonel Alex- 
ander had served a number of years in Congress, 
and that Arnold was a major-general of militia and 
a successful lawyer, so that, as Crockett said, he 
had the law and military prestige to work against. 

But these two gentlemen virtually conducted 
themselves as though they were the only candi- 
dates in the field : Crockett was not considered of 
any account, but all the time he and his tried 
friends were doing the most effective kind of 
work. 

It is no difficult problem to discover the reasons 
of Crockett's success. Humor, wit, good nature, 
and readiness in the way of anecdote will always 
win, when pitted against learning, ability, and ca- 
pacity, unweighted by the other qualities. 

Crockett prosecuted his canvass in his own pecu- 
liar manner. He looked exceedingly wise when 
asked difficult questions, and was very careful to 
be non-committal upon matters in which the senti- 
ment of the community was pretty evenly divided. 

Once, when in the eastern counties of the State, 
the three candidates met at the same town, and 
were announced to speak from the same platform. 



Il8 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Much to Crockett's disgust, he was compelled to 
lead off. He did so in one of his characteristic 
speeches, abounding with humor and anecdote, 
and of a nature to set the groundlings in a roar. 

He did not talk long — which was certainly a 
virtue in him, as it is in the generality of orators. 
It was during this occasion that an incident oc- 
curred, and the manner in which the Tennessean 
turned it to his advantage shows his readiness of 
resource in that direction — a readiness which is 
rarely equaled. 

Colonel Alexander followed Crockett, and Gen- 
eral Arnold came last. The final speaker devoted 
himself to answering the arguments of Alexander, 
but studiously ignored the existence of the back- 
woodsman. It is not probable that Crockett said 
anything worth serious attention, for he was not 
capable of doing so, but the total obliviousness to 
his personality by both speakers was a mistake. It 
cut Crockett, and stirred him to renewed vigor, at 
the same time giving him the curious weapon 
which he turned to his own account with such 
wonderful quickness. 

General Arnold was pretty well through his 
speech, demolishing Alexander with his sledge- 
hammer arguments, when a flock of guinea-fowls 
passed near the platform, making such a deafening 
racket that the speaker was forced to stop until 
they were driven away. 

He then finished his speech, when Crockett 
stepped up to him, and said loud enough for all 
to hear: 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. II9 

" Colonel, you're the first man I ever saw who 
understood the language of guinea-fowls. You 
made no reference to me in your speech, but Avhen 
they began to call out ' Crockett ! Crockett ! ' you 
ordered them driven away. 

There is a similarity between the cry of this' 
noisy domestic fowl and the name of the renowned 
Tennessean backwoodsman, and he displayed gen- 
uine wit by the way in which he turned it to ac- 
count. 

The audience caught the point instantly, and set 
up a shout of laughter, while Colonel Alexander 
looked nonplussed. Such an incident, it is fair to 
believe, gained of itself a large number of support- 
ers for the illiterate candidate. 

It was observed by those with whom Crockett 
came in contact, that he was plentifully supplied 
with funds, but no one knew where he got them. 
A great deal of this money was expended in '' treat- 
ing " those whom he encountered in his tours 
through his district, for such an occupation was a 
congenial one to him, and he could have made lit- 
tle progress without resorting to it. 

There was no man who could tell a joke or 
humorous story with better effect than Crockett ; 
there was no one who was so quick of repartee as 
he, and his quaint expressions were of the kind to 
delight the voters of the state. 

Then it was known that he was personally brave; 
that he had served creditably through the Creek 
war ; that he was the greatest bear-hunter in the 
whole country ; that he was an unerring shot with 



120 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

his rifle, and he was kind-hearted and sympathetic. 
These qualities when thrown in the scales against 
learning, eloquence, experience, abiUty and fitness, 
will outweigh them with the generality of mankind, 
nine times out often. 

It mattered not that Crockett was ignorant on 
the important questions discussed, and that it was 
beyond his power to comprehend many of the im- 
portant measures likely to come before Congress ; 
the people felt he was **one of them." They took 
personal pride in his skill with the rifle, and his in- 
imitable powers as a humorist and funny story- 
teller. The consequence was they " rallied " at the 
polls with such enthusiasm that he beat his com- 
petitors by the astounding majority of 2,748 votes, 
— a result which exceeded his most enthusiastic 
expectations. 

Colonel David Crockett was elected a member 
of Congress at last, and, as a matter of course, he 
was in exuberant spirits, as was perfectly proper 
that he should be. He was congratulated from 
every quarter, and though his opponents were cha- 
grined over their defeat, yet there was a certain 
open-handed generosity about the backwoodsman 
which won their good will, and neither entertained 
any resentment toward him who had made such a 
gallant fight in his own behalf. 

The first thing Crockett did on going to Wash- 
ington was to draw two hundred and fifty dollars, 
which he sent to his friend in Tennessee, who had 
so opportunely advanced him the necessary funds 
with which to prosecute his canvass. Nothing 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 121 

afforded the backwoodsman more pleasure than to 
reciprocate a favor of that nature. 

It is difficult at this remote day to appreciate the 
experience of Colonel David Crockett in Washing- 
ton. His pecuHarities of manner and dress, his 
native humor and eccentricities, soon drew atten- 
tion to him, and he became famous throughout the 
country. Hundreds visited the Capitol for no other 
purpose than to see the member from the wilds of 
Tennessee, who had slain such a fabulous number 
of bears and Indians. The most absurd stories 
were told of his prowess with gun and knife, and 
there was scarcely anything too wildly improbable 
to be believed. 

"Davy Crockett Almanacs," lives of ''Colonel 
Davy Crockett " were sold broadcast over the land, 
and speeches and sayings were put in his mouth of 
which he never dreamed. Such a man was sui gen- 
eris, and he attained a prodigious popularity— such 
a popularity as is often seen in our country, but 
w^hich is never of long duration. 

There are very few who can reach such a point 
as did Crockett in the public eye, and maintain 
their natural simplicity of character. The reputa- 
tion of a wit and humorist is dangerous and dif- 
ficult to sustain. It involves draughts upon the 
fancy which cannot always be met, for it is the 
nature of true wit that it is killed by premeditation. 
The humor which bubbles unbidden to the surface, ' 
and the wit which flashes like the lightning-drawn 
scimeter, are those which please and astonish. 
David Crockett uttered many things which would 



122 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

have done credit to "Poor Richard" himself; his 
jollity and inevitable good nature were contagious, 
and gave a glow to some of his expressions which 
they .lost when placed in cold type. A great many 
of his utterances were simply coarse, without wit, 
and his humor often was of that nature as only to 
excite a laugh among the low and vulgar. 

But withal, he possessed a natural readiness 
which frequently made itself manifest. Above 
everything else, it must be conceded that he was 
personally honest, during his career in Congress, 
and indeed through life. 

It may be, that no higher meed of praise can be 
given a public officer. 

When Crockett entered Congress, he was a great 
friend and supporter of what was known as the 
Jackson party. John Quincy Adams was Presi- 
dent, and Crockett had no sympathy with his prin- 
ciples. 

He was elected a second time by an immense 
majority, but during this term he began to feel a 
dissatisfaction with the dictatorial methods of Gen- 
eral Jackson. It seemed to the backwoodsman 
as though Old Hickory expected a blind obedience 
from all his friends without regard to any com- 
punctions of conscience. 

In those days, about the most popular thing a 
man could do, especially in Tennessee, was to sup- 
port General Jackson, without turning to the right 
or left. 

Colonel Crockett could not deliberately do that 
which he believed to be wronec, no matter what 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 23 

rewards and punisments loomed up before him. 
While a great admirer — as who is not? — of the 
stern old hero of New Orleans, it was impossible 
for the backwoodsman to be a blind supporter of 
him. There were some of his measures which came 
before Congress that he could not vote for nor ad- 
vocate. 

One of these was General Jackson's famous In- 
dian Bill, which Crockett opposed from principle, 
though his friends assured him it would be his po- 
litical death. It was a favorite measure of the Presi- 
dent, and he would never forgive opposition from 
that quarter. Unless Crockett became its sup- 
porter, he would never be permitted to be elected 
to Congress again. 

The reply of the Tennessear was what might 
have been expected. 

" I believe the measure is unjust and wicked, and 
I shall fight it, let the consequences be what they 
may. I am willing to go with General Jackson in 
everything I believe right and honest, but beyond 
that I wont go for any man in creation. I would 
sooner be honest and politically d d, than hypo- 
critically immortalized." 

After this little speech, there was no trouble in 
finding out where the member from Tennessee 
stood. 

But it was politically a dangerous step for 
Crockett, for when his term ended and he went 
home, he found great excitement prevaiHng. The 
report was spread that he had turned against Gen- 
eral Jackson — the especial idol of the State. He 



124 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

was assailed by all the newspapers, and scores of 
public speakers seized the occasion when the lion 
had the festering thorn in his paw to flout him to 
his face. 

The accounts of the political struggles of those 
days vividly remind us of those which occurred 
since, and are occurring to-day, and will probably 
continue to the end of time. 

General Jackson caused all the ammunition pos- 
sible to be sent to Crockett's district to be used 
against him. The editors examined the records, 
and found that he had missed something like 
seventy votes during his membership. Computing 
these at eight dollars apiece, it followed that he 
had swindled the government out of $560. 

This was but a specimen of the numerous unjust 
charges brought against Crockett, who had cer- 
tainly done what he conceived to be his duty. 

Still more unfair means were resorted to. The 
most dishonest was that of announcing him to 
speak in different portions of the district, on which 
occasions it was promised that he would explain 
the whole unfortunate Jackson business. 

Crockett was unaware of these engagements, and 
of course was not present. His enemies were sure 
to be represented on the ground, and they took 
pains to spread the report that Crockett had shown 
the white feather, and dare not face an indignant 
constituency. 

The backwoodsman knew nothing of this dis- 
honorable business until it was too late to explain 
it to a people whose sense of fair-mindedness would 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 12$ 

have caused them to rally about him in overwhelm- 
ing force. When the result of the election became 
known, it was found that Crockett had a majority 
in seventeen counties, but the eighteenth beat him. 

The Tennessean was therefore compelled to stay 
in the backwoods for a couple of years, but he had 
become thoroughly imbued with the fever for office, 
and he spent most of the time in *' laying his pipes" 
for the next election. 

His experience and natural ability enabled him 
to do this so successfully that he created a revolu- 
tion of sentiment in many quarters. While the 
Tennesseans believed General Andrew Jackson to 
be the greatest man that ever was or would be 
born, yet they liked fair play, and they saw the in- 
justice that had been done the honest Congressman. 

The enemies felt that something desperate must 
be done to defeat him, and the Legislature resorted 
to the popular method of " gerrymandering " the 
district, so as to insure a majority against the out- 
spoken Crockett. 

It was cut up and divided with as much skill as 
is displayed in these later days, and the war-horses 
of the opposition threw their energies into the can- 
vass to defeat the candidate who would not stay 
defeated. Every possible means was used, and the 
fight was one of the hottest ever fought in the State. 

When the summing up took place, it was found 
that Colonel David Crockett was elected by a ma- 
jority of 202 votes. 



126 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Colonel Crockett at Home. 

The following interesting account of Crockett at 
home was written by an old acquaintance of the 
backwoodsman. 

*' Some time in the month of , in the year 

, while traveling through the Western District, 

I heard Colonel Crockett, or the great bear-hunter, 
so frequently mentioned— and with his name were 
associated so many humorous anecdotes — that I 
determined to visit him. Obtaining directions, I 
left the high road and sought his residence. My 
route, for many miles, lay through a country un- 
interesting from its sameness; and I found myself 
on the morning of the third day within eight miles 
of Colonel Crockett's. Having refreshed myself 
and horse, I set out to spend the remainder of the 
day with him — pursuing a small blazed trail, which 
bore no marks of being often traveled, and jogged 
on, wondering what sort of a reception I should 
meet with from a man who, by quirky humors un- 
equalled, had obtained for himself a never-dying 
reputation. 

"The character which had been given of the 
Colonel, both by his friends and foes, induced me 
to hope for a kind welcome ; but doubting, — for I 
still believed him a bear in appearance, — I pursued 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 12/ 

my journey until a small opening brought me in 
sight of a cabin which, from description, I iden- 
tified as the home of the celebrated hunter of the 
West. 

'' It was in appearance rude and uninviting, sit- 
uated in a small field of eight or ten acres, which 
had been cleared in the wild woods ; no yard sur- 
rounded it, and it seemed to have been lately set- 
tled. In the passage of the house were seated two 
men in their shirt sleeves, cleaning rifles. I strained 
my eyes as I rode up to see if I could identify in 
either of them the great bear-hunter ; but before I 
could decide, my horse had stopped at the bars, 
and there walked out, in plain homespun attire, 
with a black fur cap on, a finely proportioned man, 
about six feet high, aged, from appearance, forty- 
five. His countenance was frank and manly, and a 
smile played over it as he approached me. He 
brought with him a rifle, and from his right 
shoulder hung a bag made of a raccoon skin, to 
which, by means of a sheath, was appended a huge 
butcher's knife. 

'' ' This is Colonel Crockett's residence, I pre- 
sume? ' 

*' ' Yes, sir.' 

'' ' Have I the pleasure of seeing that gentleman 
before me ? ' 

" ' If it be a pleasure, you have, sir." 

" ' Well, Colonel, I have rode much out of my 
way to spend a day or two with you, and take a 
hunt.' 

"'Get down, sir; I am delighted to see you ; I 



128 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

like to see strangers : and the only care I have is, 
that I cannot accommodate them as well as I could 
wish. I have no corn ; you see I've but lately 
moved here ; but I'll make my little boy take your 
horse over to my son-in-law's ; he is a good fellow, 
and will take care of him.' Walking in, — ' My 

brother, let me make you acquainted with Mr. 

of ; my wife, Mr. ; my daughters, Mr. 

. You see, we are mighty rough here. I am 

afraid you will think it hard times, but we have to 
do the best we can. I started mighty poor, and 
have been rooting 'long ever since ; but d — n apolo- 
gies, I hate 'em ; what I live upon always, I think 
a friend can for a day or two. I have but little, 
but that little is as free as the water that runs — so 
make yourself at home. Here are newspapers and 
some books.' 

'' His free mode of conversation made me feel 
quite easy; and a few moments gave me leisure to 
look around. His cabin within was clean and neat, 
and bore about it many marks of comfort. The 
many trophies of wild animals spread over his 
house and yard — his dogs, in appearance war-worn 
veterans, lying about sunning themselves — all told 
truly that I was at the home of the celebrated 
hunter. 

" His family were dressed by the work of their 
own hands ; and there was a neatness and simpli- 
city in their appearance very becoming. His wife 
was rather grave and quiet, but attentive and kind 
to strangers ; his daughters diffident and retiring, 
perhaps too much so, but uncommonly beautiful, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 29 

and are fine specimens of the native worth of the 
female character— for, entirely uneducated, they 
are not only agreeable but fascinating. There are 
no schools near them, yet they converse well— and 
if they did not one would be apt to think so, for 
they are extremely pretty, and tender to a stranger 
with so much kindness the comforts of their little 
cabin. The Colonel has no slaves ; his daughters 
attend to the dairy and kitchen, while he performs 
the more laborious duties of his farm. He has but 
lately moved where he now resides, and conse- 
quently had to fix anew. He took me over his 
little field of com, which he himself had cleared 
and grubbed, talked of the quantity he should 
make, his peas, pumpkins, etc., with the same 
pleasure that a Mississippi planter would have 
shown me llis cotton estate, or a James River Vir- 
ginia planter have carried me over his wide in- 
heritance. 

'' The newspapers being before us, called up the 
subject of politics. I held in high estimation the 
present administration of our country. To this he 
was opposed. His views, however, delighted me ; 
and, were they more generally adopted, we should 
be none the loser. He was opposed to the admin- 
istration, and yet conceded that many of its acts 
were wise and efficient, and would have received his 
cordial support. He admired Mr. Clay, but had 
objections to him. He was opposed to the tariff, 
yet, I think, a supporter of the bank. He seemed 
to have the most horrible objection to binding him- 
self to any man, or set of men. He said he would 



130 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

as lieve be an old 'coon dog, as obliged to do what 
any man, or set of men, would tell him was right. 
The present administration he would support as 
far as he would any other ; and that was, as far as 
he believed its views to be correct. He would 
pledge himself to support no administration — when 
the will of his constituents was known to him, it 
was his law; when unknown, his judgment was his 
guide. 

'' I remarked to him, that his district was so 
thorough-going for Jackson, I thought he would 
never be elected. 

" He said, 'he didn't care ; he believed his being 
left out was of service to him, for it had given him 
time to go to work ; he had cleared his corn-field, 
dug a well, built his cabins,' etc., and says he, * if 
they won't elect me with my opinion^I can't help 
it. / /lad rather be politically damned than hypo- 
critically immortalized.' 

" He spoke very highly of Benton, and was de- 
lighted with P. P. Barbour, whom he would have 
preferred for President to Jackson or Clay ; and of 
whom he remarked, ' I'll be d — d if Barbour ain't as 
quick as Dupont's treble.' 

*' He spoke with much pleasure of his former 
acquaintances at Washington, and assigned, at my 
instance, the reasons why he was beaten at the last 
election ; but they were better summed up by an 
Irish gentleman, with whom I had the pleasure of 
conversing while in the District. He said, ' 'twas a 
poor bate that, to be baten only three or four hun- 
dred votes in seventeen counties ; and he would 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I3I 

not have been baten at all, but that he carried on 
his back Jackson, and every lawyer and printer in 
the district.' 

" His rifle next came upon the tapis, and from 
him I learned that he was cleaning her up for a 
shooting match, to which I was invited. To gratify 
me, he, with his brother, went out and shot several 
times. One who is little accustomed to shooting, 
can form no idea of the skill of the backwood.s 
marksmen. Even the fiction of Cooper, in the skill 
of his far-famed Hawk-eye, I have seen surpassed. 
And were the deeds of La Longue Carabine and 
old Betsy brought into comparison, an impartial 
judge would have to decide in favor of the latter. 
Not only does the Colonel shoot well, who has in- 
deed been a splendid shot, but the finest corps of 
riflemen in the world might be selected from the 
north-western part of Tennessee. 

Forty yards off-hand, or sixty wdth a rest, is the 
distance generally chosen for a shooting-match. 
These are considered equivalent distances ; that is, 
either may be selected — if no distance be specified, 
this is implied. 

Off-hand shooting is always preferred by a good 
marksman, and is generally the closest. In shoot- 
ing with a rest, the rifle rebounds, and conse- 
quently throws its ball with much less accuracy. 
To prove this, take two rifle or gun-barrels, which, 
by. placing them together, will touch only at each 
end, and you will find no difficulty in springing 
them together by means of your two fingers. In 
speaking of the accuracy of the Western riflemen, 



132 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

I can conceive of nothing that I could say which 
would amount to fiction. I have known them, at 
the distance of one hundred yards, to shoot six 
balls out of eleven within less than half an inch of 
the centre ; and in all their shooting matches, no 
ball is allowed to count which is not found within 
an inch. They use for patching, cotton cloth, and 
wipe their rifles after every discharge. I think they 
would even shoot with more accuracy than they do, 
did they use percussion locks, which possess many 
advantages over the flint-lock. 

*^ The time having arrived, on we went to the 
shooting-match. The place selected was a grove, 
near which stood a tippling house. We found many 
persons already assembled, and they continued to 
flock in until several hundred were collected. They 
disposed of themselves in different groups about 
the grove, some lying down, others standing, and 
indulged pretty much in the same topic of conver- 
sation — that is, each man wanted his neighbor to 
put up something to be shot for. There was some- 
thing very striking in their appearance. Almost 
every man was clad in the garb of a hunter, — with 
a 'coon skin bag, from which was suspended a large 
knife and an alligator's tooth for a charger, — than 
which nothing can be more beautiful. Many arti- 
cles were brought to the gathering for sale ; yet no 
person, though he might want them ever so badly, 
thought of buying. They must all go through the 
process of being shot for, before any man would 
consent to own them. This was Hterally the case 
with every article. Whenever anything very pretty 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 33 

was exhibited, you would hear many persons tell- 
ing the vender not to sell it, but to put it up — that 
is, make up chances, and have a shooting-match.^ 

*' There is no country in the world which can 
beat the Western District in originality of names. 
I once overheard two men bargaining for a horse : 
said one to the other, ' I will give you two hundred 
dollars worth of dogs for him.' Two hundred dol- 
lars worth of dogs ! said I to myself — two hundred 
dollars worth of dogs!! — What can that mean? 
Upon asking for an explanation, I found out that 
bonds, or promissory notes, were termed dogs — 
and that they were said to be of a good or bad 
breed, according to the ability and punctuality of 
the obligor. 

" But to my tale. The crowd, to brighten their 
ideas, or rather to increase their propensity to 
shoot, which, by the bye, needed no stimulus, oc- 
casionally took a little — and when they were sum- 
moned to the field, where an ox or two was to be 
awarded to the victor, I could see many a man who 
was ' how come you so ? ' Each man who was to 
shoot, carried with him his target : this consisted 
of a small board which had been burned black, and 
rubbed smooth, on which a small piece of white 
paper had been pinned. The judges took posses- 
sion of all the boards ; and, from the centre spot 
on each, described four concentric circles, com- 
mencing with a radius of one-fourth of an inch, 
then half an inch, three-fourths of an inch, and 
one inch. 

" The judges having measured the distance at 



134 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

which they were to shoot, from a tree against 
which their targets were to be placed — and having 
marked out on the ground a circle, to prevent their 
being intruded upon under penalty of a quart, all 
was ready. There was no regularity in shooting ; 
each marksman called for his target when it suited 
him. One, taking his position, cried out, ' Put up 
my board ' — it was done : and the crowd flocked to- 
gether, on either side, from the target to the marks- 
man, forming a lane of living people about four 
feet wide, with their heads inclining inwards, to see 
the effect of the shot. The marksman stood for a 
moment as if sculptured from marble, the muzzle 
of his gun pointing to the earth — then raising it 
gradually, it became horizontal, poised for an in- 
stant, and there burst forth a sheet of living flame 
— the ball was buried in the paper, and at the an- 
nunciation of it, a wild shout rent the air. 

** ' D — n it, clear the track, and put up my board,' 
was shouted from the lips of Crockett, and I dis- 
covered old Betsy poised aloft in the air. The lane 
was again formed, and Crockett lounged idly at his 
stand, with his gun upon his shoulder, wliich was 
carelessly thrown off, and discharged the moment 
it became horizontal. The same effect ensued — 
the ball was buried in the paper, and another wild 
shout rent the air. 

I never have witnessed more excitement ; the 
scene was kept up for several hours by various 
marksmen — and the welkin did not ring with 
louder applause, when on Long Island the far- 
famed Eclipse passed Henry, one of Virginia's 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 35 

favorite sons, than did the backwoods of Tennessee 
at each successful shot. 

'' I observed that many a marksman, after shoot- 
ing two or three times, would hide his rifle in the 
woods, as he said, to allow it rest, and the idea at 
first seemed to me superstitious, but there w^ere 
two ol^cts in doing so— it was hid to prevent any 
person from playing a trick upon it ; and allowed to 
cool, that its barrel might not glimmer. A heated 
barrel always glimmers, and a good marksman 
never shoots when the rays of the sun may warp 
his vision, but, if practicable, seeks a shade. 

" Evening came on, and the crowd showed no 
disposition to disperse. A thousand shooting 
matches were in embryo: this man wanted a pair 
of shoes, another a hat, a third some cakes for his 
children— not one of which things would they dare 
to carry home, until it had gone through the regu- 
lar process of being shot for. Whether this prac- 
tice proceeds from a natural fondness for adventure, 
or from a spirit of economy, I know not— for I saw 
several men pay two or three prices for an article, 
before they were fortunate enough to get it. But, 
methought, when one went home where, perhaps, 
sat some 



" < sulky, sullen dame, 

Gathering her brows, like gathering storm, 
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm,' 

it would appease her but little to state that their 
joint earnings had been spent for ginger-cakes, 
but that it would act like a sedative, when it was 



136 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

announced that they cost but a thimble of powder, 
with a leaden-ball. 

" The evening passed^, off amid a continual ring- 
ing of rifles, and night came on, and yet there was 
no disposition to disperse — it was damp and (oggy^ 
and consequently very dark, and, to my utter as- 
tonishment, candles were called for, to enab^ them 
. to shoot. The distance was diminished ; and though 
their heads must have spun round like whirligigs, I 
think they rather improved in shooting. There 
was a candle held near each sight of the rifle, and 
one also on each side of the target ; and in this 
manner did they continue through the night to dis- 
pose of the merchandise, which had been brought 
for sale during the day. I sat up very late ; can- 
dles were continually called for, and new parties 
formed. Weary of the scene, I retired to bed. 

** In the morning I arose with the first dawn of 
day, and mounted my horse. The noise had some- 
what abated, though the candles were burning, and 
the rifles ringing, and they continued to do so 
while I was in hearing." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 37 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A Sensible and Timely View of a Certain Constitutional 
Question. 

From time to time, Congress has appropriated 
money for charitable purposes. The following ac- 
count of Crockett's experience, while in Washing- 
ton, is in that line, and is therefore timely and 
instructive. The narrator says : 

" While Crockett was in Congress I had business 
which required me to spend several weeks in Wash- 
ington city. Waiting upon one of the departments, 
or rather one of the chief clerks, for my turn, I had 
much leisure upon my hands; for, though my 
business might have been dispatched as well in 
two hours as in two months, yet I had to wait. I 
had made up my mind that I would not leave until 
my business was settled. My only regular employ- 
ment was to go every day to the office to learn 
that it could not be attended to that day. 

" Crockett was then the lion of Washington. I 
was a great admirer of his character, and, having 
several friends who were intimate with him, I found 
no difficulty in making his acquaintance. I was 
fascinated with him, and he seemed to take a fancy 
to me. 

" I was one day in the lobby of the House of 
Representatives when a bill was taken up appro- 



138 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

priating money for the benefit of a widow of a dis- 
tinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches 
had been made in its support, rather, as I thought, 
^because it afforded the speakers a fine opportunity 
for display than from the necessity of convincing 
anybody, for it seemed to me that everybody 
favored it. The Speaker Vv^as just about to put the 
question, when Crockett arose. Everybody ex- 
pected, of course, that he was going to make one 
of his characteristic speeches in support of the bill. 
He commenced : 

" ' Mr. Speaker — I have as much respect for the 
memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy 
for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, 
as any man in this House, but we must not permit 
our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a 
part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice 
to the balance of the living. I will not go into an 
argument to prove that Congress has no power to 
appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every 
member upon this floor knows it. We have the 
right, as individuals, to give away as much of our 
own money as we please in charity ; but as mem- 
bers of Congress we have no right so to appropriate 
a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent ap- 
peals have been made to us upon the ground that 
it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the 
deceased lived long after the close of the war ; he 
was in office to the day of his death, and I have 
never heard that the Government was in arrears to 
him. This Government can owe no debts but for 
services rendered, and at a stipulated price. If it 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 39 

IS a debt, how much is it? Has it been audited, 
and the amount due ascertained? If it is a debt, 
this is not the place to present it for payment, or 
to have its merits examined. If it is a debt,*we 
owe more than we can ever hope to pay, for we 
owe the widow of every soldier who fought in the 
war of 1812 precisely the same amount. There is 
a woman in my neighborhood, the widow of as gal- 
lant a man as ever shouldered a musket. He fell 
in battle. She is as good in every respect as this 
lady, and is as poor. She is earning her daily bread 
by her daily labor, and if I were to introduce a bill 
to appropriate five or ten thousand dollars for her 
benefit, I should be laughed at, and my bill would 
not get five votes in this House. There are thou- 
sands of widows in the country just such as the one 
I have spoken of; but we never hear of any of 
these large debts to them. Sir, this is no debt. 
The Government did not owe it to the deceased 
when he was alive ; it could not contract it after he 
died. I do not wish to be rude, but I must be 
plain. Every man in this House knows it is not a 
debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, 
appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. 
We have not the semblance of authority to appro- 
priate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we 
have the right to give as much money of our own 
as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. 
I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one 
week's pay to the object, and if every member of 
Congress will do the same, it will amount to more 
than the bill asks.' 



140^ LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

"He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill 
was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing 
unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no 
doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but 
few votes, and, of course, was lost. 

" Like many other young men, and old ones too, 
for that matter, who had not thought upon the 
subject, I desired the passage of the bill, and felt 
outraged at its defeat. I determined that I would 
persuade my friend Crockett to move a reconsider- 
ation the next day. 

" Previous engagements preventing me from see- 
ing Crockett that night, I went early to his room 
the next morning, and found him engaged in ad- 
dressing and franking letters, a large pile of which 
lay upon his table. 

" I broke in upon him rather abruptly, by asking 
him what devil had possessed him to make that 
speech and defeat that bill yesterday. Without 
turning his head or looking up from his work, he 
replied : 

" ' You see that I am very busy now ; take a seat 
and cool yourself. I will be through in a few min- 
utes, and then I will tell you all about it.' 

" He continued his employment for about ten 
minutes, and when he had finished it turned to me 
and said : 

'' ' Now, sir, I will answer your question. But 
thereby hangs a tale, and one of considerable 
length, to which you will have to listen.' 

" I listened, and this is the tale which I heard : 

" ' Several years ago I was one evening standing 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I41 

on the steps of the Capitol with some other mem- 
bers of Congress, when our attention was attracted 
by a great Hght over in Georgetown. It was evi- 
dently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and 
drove over as fast as we could. When we got 
there I went to work, and I never worked as hard 
in my life as I did there for several hours. But, in 
spite of all that could be done, many houses were 
burned and many families made houseless, and, 
besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes 
they had on. The weather was very cold, and 
when I saw so many women and children suffering, 
I felt that something ought to be done for them, 
and everybody else seemed to feel the same way. 

" ' The next morning a bill was introduced ap- 
propriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside 
all other business, and rushed it through as soon as 
it could be done. I said everybody felt as I did. 
That was not quite so ; for, though they perhaps 
sympathized as deeply with the sufferers as I did, 
there were a few of the members who did not think 
we had the right to indulge our sympathy or excite 
our charity at the expense of anybody but our- 
selves. They opposed the bill, and upon its pas- 
sage demanded the yeas and nays. There were 
not enough of them to sustain the call, but many 
of us wanted our names to appear in favor of what 
we considered' a praiseworthy measure, and we 
voted with them to sustain it. So the yeas and 
nays were recorded, and my name appeared on the 
journals in favor of the bill. 

'"The next summer, when it began to be time 



142 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

to think about the election, I concluded I would 
take a scout around among the boys of my district. 
I had no opposition there, but, as the election was 
some time off, I did not know what might turn up, 
and I thought it was best to let the boys know 
that I had not forgot them, and that going to 
Congress'had not made me too proud to go to see 
them. 

*' ' So I put a couple of shirts and a few twists of 
tobacco into my saddle-bags, and put out. I had 
been out about a week, and had found things going 
very smoothly, when, riding one day in a part of 
my district in which I was more of a stranger than 
any other, I saw a man in a field plowing and 
coming toward the road. I gauged my gait so 
that we should meet as he came to the fence. As 
he came up I spoke to the man. He replied 
politely, but, as I thought, rather coldly, and was 
about turning his horse for another furrow, when 
I asked him if he could give me a chew of to- 
bacco.' 

" ' Yes,' said he, * such as we make and use in 
this part of the country ; but it may not suit your 
taste, as you are probably in the habit of using 
better.' 

*' ' With that he pulled out of his pocket part of 
a twist in its natural state, and handed it to me. I 
took a chew, and handed it back to him. He 
turned to his plow, and was about to start off. I 
said to him : * Don't be in such a hurry, my friend ; 
I want to have a little talk with you, and get bet- 
ter acquainted.' He replied : . . 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 143 

*' * I am very busy, and have but little time to 
talk, but if it does not take too long, I will listen 
to what you have to say.' 

" ' I began : '^ Well, friend, I am one of those un- 
fortunate beings called candidates, and " 

^"'Yes, I know you; you are Colonel Crockett. 
I have seen you once before, and voted for you the 
last time you were elected. I suppose you are out 
electioneering now, but you had better not waste 
your time or mine. I shall not vote for you 
again.' 

"* This was a sockdologer. I had been making 
up my mind that he was one of those churlish fel- 
lows who care for nobody but themselves, and take 
bluntness for independence. I had seen enough of 
them to know there is a way to reach them, and 
was satisfied that if I could get him to talk to me 
I would soon have him straight. But this was en- 
tirely a different bundle of sticks. He knew me, 
had voted for me before, and did not intend to do 
it again. Something must be the matter ; I could 
not imagine what it was. I had heard of no com- 
plaints against me, except that some of the dandies 
about the village ridiculed some of the wild and 
foolish things that I too often say and do, and said 
that I was not enough of a gentleman to go to 
Congress. I begged him to tell me what was the 
matter. 

" ' Well, Colonel, it is hardly worth while to waste 
time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be 
mended, but you gave a vote last winter which 
shows that either you have not .capacity to under- 



144 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

stand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in 
the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In 
either case you are not the man to represent me. 
But I beg your pardon for expressing it in that 
way. I did not Intend to avail myself of the privi- 
lege of the constituent to speak plainly to a candi- 
date for the purpose of insulting or wounding you. 
I intend by it only to say that your understanding 
of the Constitution is very different from mine; 
and I will say to you what, but for my rudeness, I 
should not have said, that I believe you to be 
honest.' 

" ' Thank you for that, but you find fault with 
only one Vote. You know the story of Henry Clay, 
the old huntsman and the rifle ; you wouldn't break 
your gun for one snap.' 

" * No, nor for a dozen. As the story goes, that 
tack served Mr. Clay's purpose admirably, though 
it really had nothing to do with the case. I would 
not break the gun, nor would I discard an honest 
representative for a mistake in judgment as a mere 
matter of policy. But an understanding of the 
Constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, 
because the Constitution, to be worth anything, 
must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all Its 
provisions. The man who wields power and mis- 
interprets it is the more dangerous the more hon- 
est he is.* 

'' ' I admit the truth of all you say, but there 
must be some mistake about It, for I do not re- 
member that I gave any vote last winter upon any 
constitutional question.' 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 145 

^ *''No, Colonel, there's no mistake. Though I 
live here in the backwoods and seldom go from 
home, I take the papers from Washington and read 
very carefully all the proceedings of Congress. My 
papers say that last winter you voted for a bill to 
appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in 
Georgetown. Is that true ? ' 

''^Certainly it is, and I thought that was the 
last vote for which anybody in the world would 
have found fault with.' 

Well, Colonel, where do you find in the Con- 
stitution any authority to give away the public 
money in charity?' 

"Here was another sockdologer ; for, when I 
began to think about it, I could not remember a 
thing in the Constitution that authorized it. I 
found I must take another tack, so I said: 

Well, my friend ; I may as well own up. You 
have got me there. But certainly nobody will com- 
plain that a great and rich country like ours should 
give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its 
suffering women and children, particularly with a 
full and overflowing Treasury, and I am sure, if 
you had been there, you would have done just as I 
did.' 

" ' It is not the amount. Colonel, that I complain 
of; it is the principle. In the first place, the Gov- 
ernment ought to have in the Treasury no more 
than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that 
has nothing to do with the question. The power 
of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is 
the most dangerous power that can be intrusted to 



146 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

man, particularly under our system of collecting 
revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the 
country, no matter how poor he may be, and the 
poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his 
means. What is worse, it presses upon him with- 
out his knowledge where the weight centres, for 
there is not a man in the United States who can 
ever guess how much he pays to the Government. 
So you see, that while you are contributing to re- 
lieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who 
are even worse off than he. If you had the right to 
give anything, the amount was simply a matter of 
discretion with you, and you had as much right to 
give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right 
to give to one, you have the right to give to all ; 
and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor 
stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to 
any and everything which you may believe, or pro- 
fess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you 
may think proper. You will very easily perceive 
what a wide door this would open for fraud and 
corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for 
robbing the people on the other. No, Colonel, 
Congress has no right to give charity. Individual 
members may give as much of their own money as 
they please, but they have no right to touch a dol- 
lar of the public money for that purpose. If twice 
as many houses had been burned in this county as 
in Georgetown, neither you nor any other member 
of Congress would have thought of appropriating a 
dollar for our relief. There are about two hundred 
and forty members of Congress. If they had shown 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I47 

their sympathy for the sufferers by contributing 
each one week's pay, it would have made over 
$13,000. There are ptenty of wealthy men in and 
around Washington who could have given $20,000 
without depriving themselves of even a luxury of 
life. The Congressmen chose to keep their own 
money, which, if reports be true, some of them 
spend not very creditably ; and the people about 
Washington, no doubt, applauded you for reheving 
them from the necessity of giving by giving what 
was not yours to give. The people have delegated 
to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do 
certain things. To do these, it is authorized to 
collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. 
Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a viola- 
tion of the Constitution.* 

*' * I have given you,' continued Crockett, ' an im- 
perfect account of what he said. Long before he 
was through, I was convinced that I had done 
wrong. He wound up by saying : ' 

"'So you see. Colonel, you have violated the 
Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is 
a precedent fraught with danger to the country, 
for when Congress once begins to stretch its power 
beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no 
Hmit to it, and no security for the people. I have 
no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not 
make it any better, except as far as you are per- 
sonally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote 
for you.' 

" ' I tell you I felt streaked. I saw if I should 
have opposition, and this man should go to talking, 



148 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

he would set others to talking, and in that district 
I was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, 
and the fact is I was so fully convinced that he was 
right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him, 
and I said to him : 

" * Well, my friend, you hit the nail upon the 
head when you said I had not sense enough to un- 
derstand the Constitution. I intended to be guided 
by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have 
heard many speeches in Congress about the powers 
of Congress, but what you have said here at your 
plow has got more hard, sound sense in it, than all 
the fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken 
the view of it that you have, I would have put my 
head into the fire before I would have given that 
vote, and if you will forgive me and vote for me 
again, if I ever vote for another unconstitutional 
law I wish I may be shot.' 

'* He laughingly replied : ^ Yes, Colonel, you 
have sworn to that once before, but I will trust you 
again upon one condition. You say that you are 
convinced that your vote was wrong. Your ac- 
knowledgment of it will do more good than beat- 
ing you for it. If, as you go round the district, 
you will tell the people about this vote, and that 
you are satisfied it was wrong, I will not only vote 
for you, but will do what I can to keep down oppo- 
sition, and, perhaps, I may exert some little influ- 
ence in that way.' 

" * If I don't,' said I, ' I wish I may be shot ; and 
to convince you that I am in earnest in what I say 
I will come back this way in a week or ten days, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 149 

and if you will get up a gathering of the people, I 
will make a speech to them. Get up a barbecue, 
and I will pay for it.* 

"*No, Colonel, we are not rich people in this 
section, but we have plenty of provisions to con- 
tribute for a barbecue, and some to spare for those 
who have none. The push of crops will be over in 
a few days, and we can then afford a day for a bar- 
becue. This is Thursday ; I will see to getting it 
up on Saturday week. Come to my house on Fri- 
day, and we will go together, and I promise you a 
very respectable crowd to see and hear you.' 

" ' Well, I will be here. But one thing more be- 
fore I say good-by. I must know your name.' 
"'My name is Bunce.' 
"'Not Horatio Bunce?' 
"'Yes.' 

"'Well, Mr. Bunce, I never saw you before, 
though you say you have seen me, but I know you 
very well. I am glad that I have met you, and 
very proud that I may hope to have you for my 
friend. You must let me shake your hand before 
I go.' 

" ' We shook hands and parted. 
" • It was one of the luckiest hits of my life that 
I met him. He mingled but Httle with the public, 
but was widely known for his remarkable intelli- 
gence and incorruptible integrity, and for a heart 
brimful and running over with kindness and be- 
nevolence, which showed themselves not only in 
words but in acts. He was the oracle of the whole 
country around him, and his fame had extended 



I50 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

far beyond the circle of his immediate acquaint- 
ance. Though I had never met him before, I had 
heard much of him, and but for this meeting it is 
very likely I should have had opposition, and been 
beaten. One thing is very certain, no man could 
now stand up in that district under such a vote. 

"*At the appointed time I was at his house, 
having told our conversation to every crowd I had 
met, and to every man I stayed all night with, and 
I found that it gave the people an interest and a 
confidence in me stronger than I had ever seen 
manifested before. 

*' * Though I was considerably fatigued when I 
reached his house, and, under ordinary circum- 
stances, should have gone early to bed, I kept him 
up until midnight, talking about the principles and 
affairs of government, and got more real, true 
knowledge of them than I had got all my life be- 
fore. 

** ' It is not exactly pertinent to my story, but I 
must tell you more about him. When I saw him 
with his family around him, I was not surprised 
that he loved to stay at home. I have never in 
any other family seen a manifestation of so much 
confidence, familiarity and freedom of manner of 
children toward their parents mingled with such 
unbounded love and respect. 

*' * He was not at the house when I arrived, but . 
his wife received and welcomed me with all the 
ease and cordiality of an old friend. She told me 
that her husband was engaged in some out-door 
business, but would be in shortly. She is a woman 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 151 

of fine person ; her face is not what the world 
would at first sight esteem beautiful. In a state of 
rest there was too much strength and character in 
it for that, but when she engaged in conversation, 
and especially when she smiled, it softened into an 
expression of mingled kindness, goodness, and 
strength that was beautiful beyond anything I 
have ever seen. 

*' ' Pretty soon her husband came in, and she left 
us and went about her household affairs. Toward 
night the children — he had about seven of them — 
began to drop in ; some from work, some from 
school, and the little ones from play. They were 
introduced to me, and met me with the same ease 
and grace that marked the manner of their mother. 
Supper came on, and then was exhibited the love- 
liness of the family circle in all its glow. The 
father turned the conversation to the matters in 
which the children had been interested during the 
day, and all, from the oldest to the youngest, took 
part in it. They spoke to their parents with as 
much familiarity and confidence as if they had been 
friends of their own age, yet every word and every 
look manifested as much respect as the humblest 
courtier could manifest for a king ; aye, more, for 
it was all sincere, and strengthened by love. Verily 
it was the Happy Family. 

** ' I have told you Mr. Bunce converted me po- 
litically. He came nearer converting me religiously 
than I had ever been before. When supper was 
over, one of the children brought him a Bible and 
hymn-book. He turned to me and said : 



152 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

" ' Colonel, I have for many years been in the 
habit of family worship night and morning. I 
adopt this time for it that all may be present. If 
I postpone it some of us get engaged in one thing 
and some in another, and the little ones drop off 
to sleep, so that it is often difficult to get all to- 
gether.' 

" ' He then opened the Bible, and read the 
Twenty-third Psalm, commencing : ' The Lord is 
my Shepherd ; I shall not want.' It is a beautiful 
composition, and his manner of reading it gave it 
new beauties. We then sang a hymn, and we all 
knelt down. He commenced his prayer ' Our 
Father who art in Heaven.' No one who has not 
heard him pronounce those words can conceive 
how they thrilled through me, for I do not believe 
that they were ever pronounced by human lips as 
by him. I had heard them a thousand times from 
the lips of preachers of every grade and denomina- 
tion, and by all sorts of professing Christians, until 
they had become words of course with me, but 
his enunciation of them gave them an import and 
a power of which I had never conceived. There 
was a grandeur of reverence, a depth of humility, a 
fullness of confidence and an overflowing of love 
which told that his spirit was communing face to 
face with its God. An overwhelming feeling of 
awe came over me, for I felt that I was in the in- 
visible presence of Jehovah. The whole prayer was 
grand — grand in its simplicity, in the purity of the 
spirit it breathed, in its faith, its truth, and its love. 
I have told you he came nearer converting me 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 53 

religiously than I had ever been before. He did 
not make a very good Christian of me, as you 
know ; but he has wrought upon my mind a con- 
viction of the truth of Christianity, and upon my 
feelings a reverence for its purifying and elevating 
power such as I had never felt before. 

"*I have known and seen much of him since, for 
I respect him — no, that is not the word — I rever- 
ence and love him more than any living man, and 
I go to see him two or three times every year; and 
I will tell you, sir, if every one who professes to be 
a Christian lived and acted and enjoyed it as he 
does, the religion of Christ would take the world 
by storm. 

" ' But to return to my story. The next morn- 
ing we went to the barbecue, and, to my surprise, 
found about a thousand men there. I met a good 
many whom I had not known before, and they and 
my friend introduced me around until I had got 
pretty well acquainted — at least, they all knew me. 

'* ' In due time notice was given that I would 
speak to them. They gathered up around a stand 
that had been erected. I opened my speech by 
saying : 

" ' Fellow-citizens — I present myself before you 
to-day feeling like a new man. My eyes have 
lately been opened to truths which ignorance or 
prejudice, or both, had heretofore hidden from my 
view. I feel that I can to-day offer you the ability 
to render you more valuable service than I have 
ever been able to render before. I am here to-day 
more for the purpose of acknowledging my error 



154 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

than to seek your votes. That I should make this 
acknowledgment is due to myself as well as to you. 
Whether you will vote for me is a matter for your 
consideration only.' 

" ' I went on to tell them about the fire and my 
vote for the appropriation as I have told it to you, 
and then told them why I was satisfied it was 
wrong. I closed by saying: 

" ' And now, fellow-citizens, it remains only for 
me to tell you that the most of the speech you 
have listened to with so much interest was simply 
a repetition of the arguments by which your neigh- 
bor, Mr. Bunce, convinced me of my error. 

'' * It is the best speech I ever made in my life, 
but he is entitled to the credit of it. And now I 
hope he is satisfied with his convert and that he 
will get up here and tell you so.' 

'* ' He came upon the stand and said : 

** ' Fellow-citizens — It affords me great pleasure 
to comply with the request of Colonel Crockett. 
I have always considered him a thoroughly honest 
man, and I am satisfied that he will faithfully per- 
form all that he has promised you to-day.' 

" ' He went down, and there went up from that 
crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name 
never called forth before. 

" ' I am not much given to tears, but I was taken 
with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling 
down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the 
remembrance of those few words spoken by such a 
man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, 
is worth more to me than all -the honors I have re- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 155 

ceived and all the reputation I have ever made, or 
ever shall make, as a member of Congress. 

*' ' Now, sir,' concluded Crockett, ^you know why I 
made that speech yesterday. I have had several 
thousand copies of it printed, and was directing 
them to my constituents when you came in. 

" ' There is one thing now to which I will call 
your attention. You remember that I proposed to 
give a week's pay. There are in that House many 
very wealthy men— men who think nothing of 
spending a week's pay, or a dozen of them, for a 
dinner or a wine party when they have something 
to accomplish by it. Some of those same men 
made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of 
gratitude which the country owed the deceased— a 
debt which could not be paid by money— and the 
insignificance and worthlessness of money, particu- 
larly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when 
weighed against the honor of the nation. Yet not 
one of them responded to my proposition. Money 
with them is nothing but trash when it is to come 
out of the people. But it is the one great thing 
for which most of them are striving, and many 
of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to 
obtain it.* 

'' The hour for the meeting of the House had 
by this time arrived. We walked up to the Capitol 
together, but I said not a word to him about mov- 
ing a reconsideration. I would as soon have asked 
a sincere Christian to abjure his religion. 

" I had listened to his story with an interest which 
was greatly increased by his manner of telling it, 



156 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

for, no matter what we may say of the merits of a 
story, a speech, or a sermon, it is a very rare pro- 
duction which does not derive its interest more 
from the manner than the matter, as some of my 
readers have doubtless, like the writer, proved to 
their cost. 

" By Crockett's aid I succeeded in having my 
business settled in three or four days afterward, and 
left Washington. I never saw him again." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 5/ 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Colonel Crockett's Visit to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and 
New York. 

Naturally enough Colonel Crockett's ideas ex- 
panded, after he had occupied a seat in Congress 
for a couple of sessions. He had never been north 
of the capital, and he felt a strong curiosity to 
make a tour through the principal cities. 

He had formed many friends among the mem- 
bers from the North and East, who strongly urged 
him to make such a visit. At the opportune 
moment, his physician recommended *' Travel," 
and he decided to undertake the journey. He left 
Washington April 25, 1834. 

The same evening he reached Barnum's Hotel, 
Baltimore, where he was most genially entertained, 
and the following morning started for Philadelphia, 
feeling somewhat timid and apprehensive about 
going to such a large city, where every man, wo- 
man and child was a total stranger to him. 

As the steamer approached Philadelphia, Crockett 
observed the captain hoisting three flags. When 
asked what it meant, he said it was a signal which 
he had promised to give, if he had Colonel Crockett 
on board. When the latter observed an immense 
crowd standing on the dock, he began to suspect 
the truth — his proposed visit had become known 



158 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, 

through the North, and had aroused a great curi- 
osity to see him. 

As the boat came close to the wharf, the captain 
pointed to the backwoodsman, who was standing 
near him, and the crowd broke into hurrahing and 
swinging their hats. 

" That's for yoii^' said the pleased captain, and 
Crockett saw he had suddenly became famous. 
No wonder, as he expresses it, he felt ''queer" at 
the sight. 

The instant he stepped upon the wharf, and 
came within reach of the multitude, they began 
crowding around him and extending their hands 
with eager enthusiasm. *' Let me shake hands with 
an honest man ! " 

This expression was heard from hundreds, and 
Colonel Crockett was fully justified in feeling great 
pride and satisfaction with the compliment. 

Several got hold of the visitor, and, taking him 
in charge, placed him in an elegant barouche, 
drawn by four fine horses. The repeated cheering 
of. the people kept the delighted but bewildered 
Crockett bowing all the way to the old United 
States Hotel in Chestnut Street. 

There was no diminution in the crowd, and 
Crockett was conducted up-stairs and out to the 
balcony. His appearance set the crowd cheering 
again, and in answer to the calls for a speech, he said : 

"■ Gentlemen of Philadelphia — My visit to your 
city is rather accidental. I had no expectation of 
attracting any uncommon attention. I am travel- 
ing for my health, and have no wish to add to the 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 59 

excitement while there is such high political feel- 
ing. I am unable to find language with which to 
express my gratitude to the citizens of Philadel- 
phia. It seems like a burlesque — it is so new and 
strange to me. But I see nothing but friendship 
in your faces, though you are all strangers to me. 
If your curiosity is to hear the backwoodsman, I 
assure you I am ill prepared to address such en- 
lightened people. But, if you will meet me to- 
morrow at one o'clock, at the Exchange, I will try 
tQ address you in my plain, blunt manner." 

Then, amid cheers, he bowed and withdrew from 
view. 

When it became dark, and the backwoods mem- 
ber of Congress thought he would not be recog- 
nized, he ventured upon Chestnut Street. He was 
like a country school-boy let out for a little vaca- 
tion in a new and wonderful city, where the sights 
were Hke those of fairy-land. He sauntered gaping 
along, taking pains to avoid turning off the main 
street, through fear of losing his way. He was not 
long in discovering that the Quaker City is one of 
the best laid-out cities in the world, and that no 
man of intelligence need ever go astray amid the 
windings of its almost innumerable streets. 

When he laid his head on his pillow that even- 
ing, his brain was in such a whirl he could hardly 
sleep. He was especially apprehensive from the' 
promise he had made to address the people the fol- 
lowing day, but as he had extricated himself from 
many a worse dilemma, he was hopeful he would 
be equally fortunate on the morrow. 



l6o LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

The next morning he was gratified to receive cor- 
dial calls from his old acquaintances — Judge Bald- 
win, Judge Hemphill, John Sergeant, and others. 

It followed in due course that Crockett was 
struck with wonder at the sights shown him. He 
was taken to the Water Works, the Mint, and to 
the Asylum for the Insane. At the last place he 
was deeply impressed, for the sight was one calcu- 
lated to stir the heart of any thoughtful person. 
Crockett was grateful that he was spared such a 
sad affliction, and his heart was stirred to see the 
care and kindness exercised toward the unfortunates. 

It was near time for him to make his promised 
speech at the Exchange Buildings, and when he 
went there, he found fully five thousand people 
impatiently awaiting him. He started out on a 
rambling talk with considerable misgiving; but he 
gathered confidence, as he proceeded, from the 
continuous cheering and good will shown him. He 
spoke for about a half-hour, and received three 
rounds when he was through. 

In the evening the famous visitor was taken to 
the Walnut Street Theatre. He enjoyed the per- 
formance of ''Jim Crow," but he has recorded his 
regrets that these places of public amusement so 
frequently admit words and actions in their plays 
which are not fit for a modest woman to hear. 

The following morning he was waited upon by a 
committee, who presented him with a splendid seal 
for his watch chain. It contained an engraving of 
a horse-race, with the appropriate words, " Go 
ahead'' 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. l6l 

A deputation from the Young Whigs then called 
and asked for some information as to the proper 
size and weight of a good rifle, as it was their 
intention to present him with such a weapon. 
Crockett gave his views on this important question, 
for no one can deny his authority to do so, and he 
was then conducted to the Naval Hospital. 

It is hardly necessary to give the round of his 
visits, which took him to the Navy Yard, over the 
Schuylkill Bridge, and past Girard College. His 
last night was marked by a grand supper, given 
him by a number of his admirers. 

Wednesday morning, April 29th, Crockett started 
for New York, having accepted an invitation from 
Captain Jenkins of the steamboat New Philadel- 
phia.' The ride up the Delaware was a delightful 
one, as it is to-day, and he enjoyed it to its full. 
At Bordentown they took the cars for Amboy, and 
when told they ran twenty-five miles an hour he 
could scarcely believe it. What convinced him that 
the speed was fearful, was the fact that when he 
thrust his head out of the window and ejected some 
spittle, he overtook and received it all in his own 
face before he could get his head out of the way. 

It required a high rate of speed to do that. 

At Amboy they took the steamboat again, and 
another delightful ride awaited Crockett up the bay. 
When he arrived at New York, he was especially struck 
with the immense number of vessels, which reminded 
him of a vast forest denuded of its vegetation. 

As before, the wharf was crowded, and the same 
enthusiastic reception was accorded the honest 



1 62 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

congressman from Tennessep. Before he could land 
he was taken in charge of by a committee of 
Young Whigs, who drove him in a carriage to the 
American Hotel, where he held a numerously at- 
tended reception. He visited a new and elegant 
fire engine which had just been completed, and 
took lunch with the managers. In the evening 
he visited Park Theatre, and saw Fanny Kemble 
play, expressing great pleasure with the perform- 
ance. 

The famous visitor had returned to his hotel, and 
sat talking with some of his friends, when he 
caught the alarming cry : 

*' Fire! Fire ! " 

He sprang up like a flash, caught his hat, and 
started to rush out. 

'' Hold on, Colonel," said one of his friends, with 
a laugh ; " it isn't near us." 

''But ain't you going to help put it out?" asked 
the astonished Crockett. 

*' No, our help isn't needed," was the reply; 
*' we have fire companies, and we leave the entire 
business to them." 

*' Well, that's mighty queer," was the bewildered 
remark of the visitor, as he resumed his seat ; " if 
that had been in my neighborhood, I would have 
jumped on the first horse at hand and ridden like 
a streak of lightning for the fire, and scarcely ever 
taken breath till it was put out." 

Crockett was so curious to see how they man- 
aged a conflagration in the metropolis, that his 
friends went out with him. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 63 

The hour was late, and when the fire was 
reached the engines were just ready for work. 
When the stream began playing, however, they 
quickly extinguished the flames that were raging 
in a four story dwelling. 

Crockett thought this was wonderful work, and 
so it was ; but had he visited New York to-day, he 
would have seen a fire-engine made ready to start 
for a fire in precisely two seconds from the sound- 
ing of the alarm ! 

Incredible as this seems, the feat had been per- 
formed again and again by the fire-engines of that 
city. 

Furthermore, the speed of the railroad train, 
which so amazed the rural congressman, is now fre- 
quently surpassed threefold. There are cars which 
run more than a mile a m.inute between New York 
and Philadelphia every day of the week. We 
have ridden on the engine of a regular train, and, 
watch in hand, found that at certain sections of 
the road it was making fully seventy-two miles 
an hour. When will the maximum of speed be 
attained ? 

Colonel Crockett " saw the sights " in the great 
city, calling at the newspaper offices, making a 
speech at the Exchange, and visiting Peale's Mu- 
seum, so popular as an entertaining resort a half 
century ago. He was cordially received by the 
mayor, who, like another great man, had been a 
tanner in his youth, and the two famous '' products 
of American soil," mutually congratulated each 
other on their success. 



164 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

He dined with Colonel Draper in the evening, 
where he met the famous humorist of the day, 
Major Jack Downing. The contact of these two 
wits around the dinner table afforded rare amuse- 
ment to those who were present. 

Although little appetite was left him, Crockett 
was compelled to attend a supper later in the even- 
ing, with the Young Whigs. He there met the 
accomplished Augustus S. Clayton, of Georgia, 
whose powers as a speaker took a great deal of the 
burden from Crockett's shoulders. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 165 



CHAPTER XV. 

In the Metropolis— Visit to Boston— Honors given him every- 
where—Return to Washington— Adjournment of Congress- 
Goes Home by way of Philadelphia— Memorable Incidents on 
the Route. 

Colonel Crockett was toasted as the "un- 
deviating supporter of the constitution and laws." 
When he arose, he was received with great cheer- 
ing, and made one of his best speeches, concluding 
with a story illustrating his own disposition to fol- 
low the lead of General Jackson, so long as he 
went straight ; but when his paths became devious, 
Crockett declared his self-respect forbade his fol- 
lowing him. 

His story was of the farmer, who directed his 
boy to plow straight toward the red cow, who just 
then occupied the right position. The lad obeyed 
to the letter, and all would have been well had not 
the cow wandered all about the field, taking the 
lad after her. 

The next morning ushered in moving day in 
New York, and the sight was one which amazed 
Crockett, as well it might. It seemed to him as if 
the entire city was fleeing panic-stricken before the 
approach of some pestilence. 

The visitor was fairly terrified by a tour he 
made through Five Points, which at that day was 



1 66 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

perhaps one of the most woeful spots on the 
globe. When the brave Crockett saw the bleared- 
eyed drunkards and leering desperadoes, whose 
faces were stamped with the most hideous imprint 
of crime, he declared he would rather risk him- 
self in the thick of the worst kind of an Indian 
fight, than to venture into the neighborhood after 
dark. At this day the record of Colonel Crockett's 
visit to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston reads 
curiously enough. He tells his experiences with 
such simplicity that they are more attractive than 
the most finished disquisitions of foreign visitors 
who have been right royally entertained by us, and 
then have gone back home and done their most to 
hold us up to ridicule. 

While Crockett was taking his walk on this 
annual moving day, he was introduced to Honora- 
ble Albert Gallatin, who was also engaged in trans- 
ferring his worldly goods and who apologized that 
he had no more time at his command. It may be 
mentioned as an interesting fact that Gallatin 
pointed to the house which he was vacating, and 
said it was to be torn down to make room for a 
large " tavern." This building, which Crockett saw 
begun while he was in New York, was the famous 
Astor House. 

When the visitor returned to his hotel he found 
the bill of the Bowery Theatre, on which it was 
announced in large letters that he would be present 
at that evening's entertainment. As Crockett had 
given no authority for any such announcement, he 
was offended, and decided not to go. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 67 

When he was sent for he refused, and the man- 
ager came for the famous backwoodsman member 
of Congress, who told him very distinctly that he 
had not gone to New York to make an exhibition 
of himself. The manager plead so hard, how- 
ever, that Crockett finally consented, and went to 
the place of amusement for a short while. As a 
matter of course, he attracted a great deal of atten- 
tion, and was received with due honors. 

In the morning he accepted an invitation to go 
over to Jersey City to witness some rifle-shooting. 
Crockett looked on awhile, when one of the partici- 
pants asked him to take his gun and give them an 
exhibition of what he could do. 

The distance was a hundred yards with a rest. 
The Tennessean fired off-hand, and came within 
two inches of the centre. He said his distance was 
forty-five yards. Colonel' Mapes placed a quarter 
of a dollar as a target, and Crockett ruined it on 
the first fire. 

At three o'clock on the succeeding day the fa- 
mous visitor took the steamboat for Boston, having 
accepted the invitation of Captain Comstock made 
some time before, A splendid state-room was 
placed at the service of the Tennessean, and an 
immense crowd was at the wharf to cheer him as 
he departed. v 

His journey was one continued delight to 
Colonel Crockett until he was taken in charge at 
the Tremont House, which he pronounced one of 
the finest "taverns" he had ever inspected. He 
was treated with the greatest hospitality, and Ches- 



l68 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, 

ter Harding, the famous painter, who went to Mis- 
souri fourteen years before to paint the portrait 
of Colonel Daniel Boone, secured several sittings 
from the backwoodsman member of Congress. 

There are no end to the entertaining and won- 
derful sights in a city like New York, Philadelphia, 
or Boston — especially to one who visits it for the 
first time. Among those that were inspected by 
Crockett, were Faneuil Hall, the Public Market, 
the India Rubber Works at Roxborough, at which 
place he was presented with a rubber coat, the car- 
pet factories, the Navy Yard at Charlestown, the 
historic battle-ground of Bunker Hill, where he 
was so impressed by the sacred memories cluster- 
ing about the spot, that he swore to defend his 
country at all times and in all places, so long as 
Heaven gave him the power to use tongue or 
hand. 

It was inevitable that the famous Crockett should 
be urged to dinner in ten times as many places as 
was possible. In the evening, he was taken in a 
coach and four to dine with a club of one hundred 
young Whigs. The feast was a right royal one, 
and the backwoodsman made one of his witty and 
appropriate responses to a toast to himself. 

His stay in the city was one continued round of 
sight-seeing, dining out, speech-making and joUifi- 
cation. The following morning he strolled through 
the city, and when he came back to the Tremont 
House, a gentleman asked him to take a w^alk with 
him to the Old State House. Crockett did so, and 
ran into a good-natured trap that was set for him. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, 1 69 

An immense multitude were present. He was 
conducted up-stairs, and out on a platform, where 
he bowed to the shouting people. But they were 
not content, and he was forced to make a speech 
to them. 

Perhaps the most genuine pleasure the visitor 
received was in the Institution for the Blind. One 
of the students, whose sight was totally wanting, 
called at the hotel for Crockett to conduct him to 
the institution. When the congressman expressed 
his wonder at the idea of being led about the city 
by one without eyesight, he was told that the boy 
could traverse every portion of it without losing 
himself for an instant. 

Crockett therefore placed himself in his care, and 
in the institution he saw the boys and girls read 
books, cipher, play the piano and other musical 
instruments. He was filled with wonder and pleas- 
ure, and records a tasteful tribute to the humanity 
of Colonel Thomas Handaside Perkins, who gave 
fifty thousand dollars to the blind asylum. 

On his return to the hotel he found an urgent 
invitation to visit Harvard University awaiting him. 
But Crockett shrank from entering the famous in- 
stitution of learning, giving as his reason that he 
was afraid they would bestow upon him the title 
of " LL. D.," to which he had no more claim than 
had General Andrew Jackson, who received it some 
time before. 

A visit was made shortly after^vard to Lowell, 
with its famous cotton mills, and Mr. Lawrence, 
one of the mill owners, presented Crockett with a 



I/O • LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

suit of broadcloth, made out of wool brought from 
Mississippi. In the evening the congressman was 
dined again by a company of young Whigs, and 
made one of his best speeches in response to the 
toast to himself. 

The hospitality shown Davy Crockett was of 
that kind for which Boston is proverbial. He was 
scarcely given time to sleep, but was taken every- 
where by his enthusiastic friends, dined and wined, 
and presented with many tokens of the respect 
which his sturdy and rugged honesty awakened 
among the New Englanders. 

He was deeply touched by the generous kindness 
shown him, and urged his Southern associates to fol- 
low his example of visiting their Northern friends, 
assuring them that their mutual good-will would 
be greatly strengthened when they should come to 
meet and know each other better. There can be 
no question that the Tennessean was sound in his 
philosophy. 

The Colonel returned to New York by way of 
Providence. In the latter city he was invited to 
dine at two different hotels, but he declined both 
invitations, as he needed rest. Besides, he was 
anxious to get back to Washington, now that his 
face was turned in that direction. He made scarcely 
any halt until he reached Camden, where he called 
upon a friend, and while he and others were being 
entertained, several had their pockets picked of a 
considerable sum of money. 

At Baltimore he was met at the wharf and es- 
corted to Barnum's Hotel, where a large crowd 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 71 

was assembled. They would not permit him to 
withdraw until he had given them a speech. He 
reached Washington and walked into the House 
of Representatives just in time to give his vote on 
the question of adjournment. There was consider- 
able surprise shown at his turning up so unex- 
pectedly. Adjournment took place shortly after- 
ward, and Crockett started for home by way of 
Philadelphia. 

He sojourned at the United States, where he 

felt entirely at home. The committee who had 

. purchased the rifle, notified him that it would be 

presented in the evening, and he was conducted to 

a hall to receive the splendid weapon. 

Accompanying it were a fine knife and toma- 
hawk. John M. Sanderson passed the gun over to 
Crockett, with an appropriate speech, and the 
backwoodsman thanked them cordially for the 
kindness. He said that no present could have been 
selected that would have pleased him so much, and 
that it was the finest rifle upon which he had ever 
looked. 

He added, that when he held such a weapon in 
his hands, he always felt independent. If it should 
become necessary he would gladly use it in the 
defence of his country; and should the struggle 
come after he was laid in the dust, his sons would 
do their best to take his place in the ranks of their 
country's defenders. 

Little did Davy Crockett imagine that within 
two years from the time he uttered these brave 
words, he would be called upon to give up his life 



172 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

fighting for the liberty of the Lone Star State 
against the hordes of Mexican invaders. 

The next day Crockett accepted an invitation 
and spent the day at the " Fish House," as it was 
called on the Schuylkill, where he amused himself, 
with scores of others, shooting, fishing, eating and 
drinking. This was the third of July, and, as a 
matter of course, the Tennessean was used to the 
fullest advantage on the glorious anniversary im- 
mediately succeeding. 

At an early hour he went to Musical Fund Hall, 
where a number of distinguished orators enter- 
tained the audience for a long time. But Colonel 
Crockett was speedily recognized, and the demands 
for a speech were so uproarious that he was forced 
to comply. He was greatly embarrassed, for he 
knew that some of the orators were the first in the 
city, and there were a great many ladies in the 
audience. 

In the afternoon he delivered a speech at the 
** Hermitage," after a fine dinner, where he was en- 
tertained most bountifully. This was unquestion- 
ably the most delightful national anniversary spent 
by Davy Crockett. A visit to the Chestnut Street 
Theatre, where he was compelled to speak a few 
words to the audience, concluded the celebration 
of this most memorable day. 

Mr. Dupont, the famous powder manufacturer, 
asked Crockett's permission to present him with a 
half dozen canisters of his best sportsman's pow- 
der ; and having received such permission, sent him 
a dozen canisters. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 73 

The morning succeeding this, saw Crockett on 
his way to Pittsburgh. The journey over the moun- 
tains was very pleasant, and the renowned Colonel 
attracted a great deal of attention in passing 
through the country, for it may be said that at 
that time he was in the very culminating days of 
his glory. 

Pittsburgh was reached in the night. When the 
backwoodsman went down to the wharf to look for 
a steamboat, he found Captain Stone, who told 
him he had waited a day on purpose to take him 
along with him. . Of course, the delighted Crockett 
accepted passage with him. The Captain was a 
man after his own heart, and the two spent many 
enjoyable hours on the river. Captain Stone was 
never tired of listening to Crockett's accounts of 
his tour through the North and East, and he in 
turn was equally prolific with his own experiences 
on the river, during his eventful career as a boat- 
man. 

At Wheeling, the Colonel walked ashore to 
stretch his limbs and look about him. But he was 
almost immediately recognized, and a crowd fol- 
lowed him eager to get a look at the *' honest 
man." He was invited by a committee to dine 
with them at three o'clock, but he could not ac- 
cept, as the steamboat was to leave before that 
liour. Accordingly they gathered on the shore in 
large numbers, and cheered Crockett as he slowly 
passed out of sight on the steamboat, he waving 
his hat in return for their salutes. 

In Cincinnati, the demands were so clamorous, 



1/4 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

he could not resist them. He took a lunch with 
his admirers, and delivered one of his short incisive 
speeches, greatly to the delight of his listeners. 

With as little delay as possible, he proceeded to 
Louisville, where his friends had arranged quarters 
for him at the finest hotel in the city. As he was 
obliged to stay there several days, he could not 
escape another speech. The fact was, the bustling 
experience of the Colonel for the last few years had 
made quite a popular stump orator of him. While 
on his tour through the North, the demands in this 
respect were due, of course, more to curiosity than 
anything else. 

But he was popular, beyond any other speaker, 
in his own home, amid the sparse settlements and 
the wilds of Tennessee, where the hunters and 
backwoodsmen rode scores of miles through the 
" blazed " trails to hear the great Crockett speak. 

It was announced in Louisville that he was to 
address the citizens the succeeding evening. Ac- 
cordingly he was sent for and taken out to Jeffer- 
sonville Springs, Indiana, on the opposite side of 
the river. A speech was the inevitable conse- 
quence ; and, as Crockett was now nearin^ home, 
he put a good deal of politics in what he said, pre- 
senting his charges against the course of General 
Jackson on several important public measures, with 
his usual pith and point. 

In the evening he was conducted to the State- 
House yard, where a stand had been erected from 
which he was to address the assembled people. 
One of the old citizens said that the gathering was 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 75 

the largest that had been known in the history of 
Louisville. The backwoodsman must have been 
stirred at the sight, and he made the best speech 
of which he was capable. 

As he was unable to leave for a day or two, an- 
other oration was given in response to clamorous 
demands. Finally he took his departure on the 
steamboat Scotland, Captain Buckner, and arrived 
at Mills* Point on the 22d of July, 1834. He was 
now upon the soil of Tennessee, and was met by 
his son William, who drove him to his home thirty- 
five miles distant. 



1/6 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Crockett Returns Home— A Candidate for Re-election to Con- 
gress — Defeated — His Bitter Disappointment — Starts for 
Texas. 

The triumphant tour was at last ended. Colonel 
Crockett had received honors and recognition in 
the leading cities of the Union and throughout the 
North, which would have turned the head of many 
an abler man than he, and which doubtless awoke 
longings in him that were destined never to be sat- 
isfied. The taste of public office and the expres- 
sions of admiration were peculiarly gratifying to 
him. He had earned the title of an honest man, 
the '' noblest work ofuod." 

But he saw not that this amazing popularity, 
from its very nature, was short-lived, and that the 
time must soon come when some other idol would 
take his place in the eyes of the multitude. 

It is a bitter lesson for the man hoisted into pub- 
lic notice by exceptional circumstances to learn, — 
but it must be learned, and Colonel Davy Crockett 
was close to the hour when the bitter cup was to 
be pressed to his own lips. 

He rode rapidly along the rough country road 
with his son for nearly two-score miles, and at last 
caught sight of his humble home. There stood the 
rude cabin, with the logs he had helped to hew and 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 77 

put together with his own hands, with the huge 
deer-antlers and bear's claws nailed over the door, 
and with the familiar sights upon which he had not 
looked for months. 

They were dearer to him than ever before ; and, 
when he sprang out of the wagon and clasped his 
wife and children in his arms, he felt that more 
genuine pleasure was his, than when the thousands 
were shouting his name and crowding forward to 
grasp his hand. 

As a matter of course, Crockett became a candi- 
date for re-election. He now possessed a national 
reputation, but he was known as an antagonist of 
President Jackson. Representing, as the back- 
woodsman did, a State which posesssed peculiar 
claims to '' Old Hickory," and which fairly idolized 
him, it can be seen that the congressman had 
placed himself in an exceedingly dangerous atti- 
tude. General Jackson was fiery-tempei-ed, im- 
petuous, and possessed no mercy for a political foe. 
Nothing could be more assured than that he would 
use his prodigious power to the utmost to crush 
the fearless backwoodsman who deiied him to his 
face. 

It followed, therefore, that the fight would be a 
hot one, and none realized the task before him 
more strongly than did Crockett himself. 

He threw all his energies into the canvass, and 
traveling from one end of his district to the other, 
made speeches day after day, with all the humor,' 
vim, and argument at his command. 

His opponent was Adam Huntsman— a man who 



1/8 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

lost a leg in the war of 1812, and who had the tre- 
mendous backing of President Jackson in the strife 
for office. 

Crockett had picked up a great deal of political 
information, during his years in Congress, and 
aside from his native humor, was much the supe- 
rior of Huntsman in a fair discussion of the public 
questions of the day. 

He jibed his opponent unmercifully, reminding 
him that there would soon be a second fall of 
Adam, for the congressman was never more assured 
of anything than he was that he would be returned 
to Congress by the largest majority he had ever 
received. 

The signs everywhere were " auspicious." Wher- 
ever he went, the crowds thronged about him, and 
he told funnier stories than ever, and he had all 
the arguments against "Old Hickory" at his 
tongue's end, and when he spoke, he was cheered 
to the echo. As a candidate for public office hears 
scarcely anything except from his friends. Colonel 
Crockett could not understand why it was that 
Huntsman was so blind as not to see there was not 
the remotest hope for his success. 

In the first place, he could not approach the 
backwoodsman in his humor, readiness at repartee, 
and amusing anecdote. He must have known, 
too, that the skill of the backwoodsman with the 
rifle is one of the surest passports that any one 
can possess to the goodwill of a frontier com- 
munity. 

Such was the case, as it presented itself to a 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 79 

superficial observer, who would have seen that 
about the only thing left for Huntsman to stand 
upon was (to use an Hibernicism) the leg he had 
lost in the war. 

But the elements were at work to destroy Crock- 
ett. The foundation upon which he had builded 
his popularity was only sand. Already the in- 
sidious current was washing it away, and when he 
thought his structure stood the firmest, it was on 
the very eve of falling in irretrievable ruin. 

It may have been that many of Crockett's old 
friends were stirred by a feeling of unworthy envy 
at the amazing degree of popularity he had at- 
tained. They may have concluded that the rough, 
uneducated woodsman had received all the public 
honors he was entitled to, and that the time had 
come for him to be reminded that he was still one 
of them, and that his proper position was with the 
people, instead of making triumphant tours through 
the North as their representative. 

But unquestionably the most potent cause was 
the influence of President Jackson, which was pre- 
cipitated with irresistible weight into the scale 
against him. 

The canvass was waged with unexampled vigor 
and bitterness on both sides, and when Colonel 
Crockett's four weeks of incessant speech-making 
and travel were ended, he went back to his cabin 
and sat down to await with serene confidence the 
tidings of his election by a tremendous majority. 

When the news reached him, it was to the effect 
that he was beaten by nearly three hundred votes. 



l80 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

The result, as may be supposed, astounded 
Crockett. He was almost staggered into disbelief, 
but was soon compelled to see that in his joust 
with President Jackson, he had been unhorsed and 
overthrown, as was many a greater man than he. 

The political career of Colonel David Crockett 
was ended. 

He had rushed to a sudden and unique glory, 
and, while the central figure of an admiring coun- 
try, he was suddenly snuffed out, so to speak. 
Where a brief time before he was a shining lumi- 
nous light, there was nothing but blank darkness. 

The unexpected repulse soured for the time the 
sunny nature of Crockett. He was beaten un- 
fairly, for money was used lavishly to defeat him, 
and every trick known to politics was employed to 
encompass his overthrow. 

It mattered not that he was treading in the foot- 
steps of hundreds who had gone before, and who 
must continue going, so long as our republic shall 
last. He only knew that he had been defeated in 
obtaining the dearest wish of his life ; that he had 
put forth his most earnest efforts, and had been ig- 
nominiously cast down and trampled upon ; that 
he had been taken by the neck and heels, as may 
be said, and thrown outside the stockade of politics 
— thrown so far that he could never clamber over 
again into the enclosure and mingle in the fray. 

And all this, as he believed, was simply because 
he had chosen to be conscientious while in Con- 
gress. He had followed no man's bidding, but had 
been governed by what he conceived to be right in 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. l8l 

casting his vote, and in uttering his voice in favor 
of or against any measure. 

It was a bitter reflection, and there were many 
hours when chagrin, anger, and resentment gnawed 
at the heart of Colonel Crockett. 

What added to his indignation was his unshak- 
able belief that he had been deliberately defrauded 
out of his election by means put in operation by 
President Jackson himself. Probably a majority 
of the defeated candidates throughout the country 
are equally strong in their belief that an untram- 
meled ballot would have secured their triumph; 
but, in Crockett's case, it can scarcely be doubted 
that a fair test would have returned him to Con- 
gress. 

But all these reflections only increased the bit- 
terness of the backwoodsman's resentment without 
bringing any consolation. The days passed, and 
the dagger-thrust still rankled in his wounds. There 
is something touching in the following homely 
words which he wrote in his lonely cabin in Ten- 
nessee. 

" As my country no longer requires my services, 
I have made up my mind to go to Texas. My life 
has been one of danger, toil, and privation ; but 
these difficulties I had to encounter at a time when 
I considered them nothing. But now I start anew 
upon my own hook, and God only grant that I 
may be strong enough to support the weight that 
may be hung upon it, I have a new row to hoe, 
a long and rough one, but come what will, Fll go 
ahead. 



1 82 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

'' When I returned home from making a sort of 
farewell speech to my friends, I felt cast down at 
the change that had taken place in my fortunes, 
and sorrow, it is said, will make even an oyster 
feel poetical. I never tried my hand at that sort 
of writing, but on this particular occasion, such was 
my state of feeling that I began to fancy myself 
inspired ; so I took pen in hand, and, as usual, I 
went ahead. When I had got fairly through, my 
poetry looked as zigzag as a worm fence ; the lines 
wouldn't tally ; so I showed them to a friend who 
had a reputation for that kind of writing, having 
some years ago made a carrier's address for the 
Nashville Banner. He lopped off some lines and 
stretched out others, but when he was through, I 
think the words were worse than when I placed 
them in his hands. It being my first, and no doubt 
my last piece of poetry, I give it here : 

" Farewell to the mountains, whose mazes to me, 
Were more beautiful far, than Eden could be : 
No fruit was forbidden, but nature had spread 
Her bountiful board, and her children were fed. 
The hills were our garners — our herds wildly grew, 
And nature was shepherd and husbandman too. 
I fell like a monarch, yet thought like a man, 
As I thanked the Great Giver and worshiped his plan. 

" The home I forsake where my offspring arose ; 
The graves I forsake where my children repose. 
The home I redeemed from the savage and wild : 
The home I have loved as a father his child ; 
The corn that I planted, the fields that I cleared, 
The flocks that I raised, and the cabin I reared; 
The wife of my bosom — farewell to ye all ! 
In the land of the stranger, I rise or I fall. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 83 

" Farewell to my country ! I fought for thee well, 
When the savage rushed forth like the demons from hell. 
In peace or in war I have stood by thy side — 
My country, for thee I have lived— would have died ! 
But I am cast off— my career is now run. 
And I wander abroad like the prodigal son — 
Where the wild savage roves, and the broad prairies spread, 
The fallen — despised — will again go ahead!'' 

It was a severe trial for Crockett to bid his wife 
and children good-by, for at that day Texas was 
a far-away land, and the enterprise in which he and 
a few hardy spirits had determined to engage was 
a desperate one. The vast territory was claimed as 
a Mexican province, and Santa Anna, its dictator, 
was a merciless tyrant, who would use every means 
to crush the rebellion which a handful of invaders, 
as he viewed them, were seeking to set on foot. 

But the hour for parting came. It was charac- 
teristic of Crockett, as we have shown, that, when 
he had made up his mind to follow a certain course 
of action, he allowed nothing to swerve him from it. 

No doubt he shared with others in the dream of 
the coming empire, with which he wished and be- 
lieved it possible to identify himself. It required 
no wonderful prescience to forecast the grand 
future of that country, when it should secure its 
independence from Mexican dominion, and become 
one of the States of the Union. 

Crockett was not yet fifty years old— an age 
which, in his case, was his prime, and he may have 
believed that his talents would secure speedy recog- 
nition in a new country of that character. 



1 84 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, 

At any rate, whatever may have been his con- 
trolling motives, his mind was unalterably set on 
casting his fortunes with those of the hardy adven- 
turers who had fixed their hopes upon Texas. 

So he bade the wife good-by, he kissed her and 
the children again and again, he pressed them to 
his heart, he cheered them with the hope of a 
speedy return, and while the tears trickled down 
his bronzed cheeks, he hurriedly walked away. 

Dressed in his homespun suit, and with the beau- 
tiful rifle presented him by his admirers in' Phila- 
delphia, he strode off toward Mill's Point, where he 
was to take the steamboat down the Mississippi. 

Wife and children stood in the door of the hum- 
ble cabin, waving him good-by, while he turned 
back and answered the signals affectionately, for he 
was always tenderly attached to his family, until at 
last the loved form of the hardy hunter disap- 
peared from sight. 

He was gone, never to return ! 

He who went away with such high hopes of suc- 
cess, was nevermore to set foot upon Tennessee 
soil, nor look in the face of wife and children again. 

When Davy Crockett went forth to his fight for 
the independence of Texas, he went to his death, 
as did many another gallant patriot. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 85 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Early History of Texas — The Home of Adventurers — Disreputa- 
ble Character of many of the Early Settlers — General Antonio 
Lopez de Santa Anna — Texas begins its way for Indepen- 
dence — Santa Anna, with a large force, invades the Ter- 
ritory. 

At the time Colonel Crockett left his home in 
Tennessee for the distant State of Texas, there 
were less than 40,000 white people within its bor- 
ders. It contained thousands upon thousands of 
square miles that had never been trod by a Cauca- 
sian, and which, from the nature of the circum- 
stances, must remain an unknown region for years 
to follow. 

The area of Texas is enormous. It exceeds that 
of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Mary- 
land, Delaware, and the six New England States 
together. It is more than thirty-six times as ex- 
tensive as New Jersey. Great Britain and Ireland 
are not half as large; France, Holland, Belgium, 
and Denmark united scarcely approach it in area, 
and its future grandeur can scarcely be forecast. 

The greatest length of Texas is 825, and its 
greatest breadth 740 miles. Its area is 274,356 
square miles, an expanse of territory which almost 
surpasses imagination. 

This State has a most eventful history. In 1685, 
a number of French emigrants, under the leader- 



1 86 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

ship of the Sieur de la Salle, landed in Matagorda 
Bay, and built Fort St. Louis on the Lavaga. The 
fort was soon after abandoned, and the garrison 
dispersed. 

Five years later. Captain De Leon, "a Spanish 
officer, established the mission of San Francisco on 
the site of the deserted fort, and the following year 
a Spanish governor was appointed. These at- 
tempts at settlements, however, were without any 
permanency in their character, for in 1693, all were 
abandoned. 

A few years later, Spanish missions were founded 
at different points, but these were like lighthouses 
erected along the coast of a continent. The whole 
vast territory stretching beyond remained unde- 
veloped and unknown. 

In the year 171 5, the name of "The New Phillip- 
pines " was given to the country, and the Marquis 
De Aguayo was made Governor-General of the 
Colony. For the following twenty years, the Span- 
ish held sole sway, and their settlements multi- 
plied. They penetrated into the interior, and 
erected their mission-houses, where they were en- 
vironed by the fierce Comanche and Apache, and 
shut off for months from communication with others 
of their own race. 

They were sometimes assailed by the wild In- 
dians, who resented this intrusion upon their 
domains ; but the mission-houses \vere strongly 
built, and were capable of endless resistance 
against all the forces the red men could bring 
against them. Their solid adobe walls have defied 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 18/ 

the modern artillery more than once ; and, to-day, 
when viewed from a distance, they suggest the old 
tempest-beaten and war-worn castles of the feudal 
times that have been the pride of many sections of 
Europe for hundreds of years. 

While the Catholics were engaged in preaching 
to and seeking to convert the Indians around them, 
they did not neglect the fertile soil. They put in 
their crops, and gathered abundant harvests, for 
they possessed the worldly wisdom to make prepa- 
ration for the coming of the days when such re- 
serves were likely to prove indispensable. 

More than once this provision was the salvation 
of the little band of settlers gathered about the 
mission-houses. Some were besieged for three and 
six months, and there is an apparently trustworthy 
legend that one of the mission-houses near San 
Antonio withstood successfully a siege at the 
hands of the Comanches which lasted a year and 
a half. 

With the primitive weapons at the command of 
the Indians, it can be understood that the men and 
women behind the massive walls were safe against 
harm, so long as they used ordinary prudence. It 
became simply a question of supplies on the part 
of the defenders. 

As there was sufficient corn and wheat stowed 
away in the impenetrable vaults, and their supply 
of water was exhaustless, the Comanches finally 
raised the siege and departed. 

These mission houses, scattered at wide intervals 
through the Texan wilderness, made little impres- 



1 88 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

sion on the aboriginal population, and the traveler 
to-day through the Lone Star State views them 
with wondering curiosity, scarcely comprehending 
that they played any appreciable part in the settle- 
ment of the section. 

In the year 1803, France ceded to the United 
States the Louisiana territory, which had formerly 
belonged to Spain, and a controversy as to bounda- 
ries immediately arose. Spain claimed the region 
east of the Sabine, and the United States insisted 
they were entitled to all the country as far west as 
the Rio Grande. The dispute was settled three 
years later, by establishing the territory between 
the Sabine and Arroya Honda into neutral ground. 

This proved anything but the termination of the 
vexed question. Expeditions for the invasion of 
Texas were continually formed within the territory 
of the United States. In 1813, the invaders had a 
fierce fight with the Spanish army, and defeated it 
with the loss of more than a thousand men. In 
the same year a force of 2,500 Americans and 
Mexicans were cut to pieces, barely a hundred es- 
caping with their lives. 

The disturbances continued, much as they have in 
Cuba, for years. In 1817, Mina, a Spanish refugee, 
won a number of victories over the Spaniards, and 
it looked for a time as if he would sweep every- 
thing before him. But the usual fate of such ad- 
venturers overtook him. His forces were scattered 
like chaffj and he was captured and shot. 

In 1 8 19, the controversy between Spain and the 
United States was ended by the acceptance of the 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 89 

Sabine River as the boundary line, but the distur- 
bances in the south-west were in no way affected 
by the agreement between the two countries. 

During the same year a rev£>lutionary expedition 
was organized at Natchez, under the command of 
Dr. James Long, a Tennessean. He penetrated 
with his followers as far as Nacogdoches, and 
established a provisional government. But, while 
the leader was absent, his forces were attacked and 
destroyed by the royalist troops. 

The undaunted Dr. Long speedily organized an- 
other expedition, which took possession of La 
Bahia. But it came to grief as did the former one. 
The entire company and himself were taken pris- 
oners, and carried to the city of Mexico. Unex- 
pectedly he was released, for the quality of mercy 
is a rare virtue with a Mexican. Dr. Long, how- 
ever, was assassinated in 1822. 

In 1823, Stephen S. Austin, under a grant from 
the Mexican government, established a colony in 
Southeastern Texas, and other settlers speedily fol- 
lowed. The Mexican Constitution, adopted in 
1824, united Coahuila, hitherto a separate province, 
with Texas in a single State, and the Congress of 
the united state placed a Mexican as command- 
ant of the Department of Texas. He was a tyrant, 
and treated the settlers with great severity. . 

Lafitte, the noted pirate, established a settlement 
at Galveston, but it was broken up in 182 1. In- 
famous as was the character of this colony of free- 
booters, it was no worse than that of hundreds who 
flocked to Texas from the United States. 



IQO LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

The worst desperadoes, thieves, murderers, and 
gamblers that were produced in the Union hurried 
toward the Rio Grande. It became a land of 
refuge for all manner of criminals fleeing from jus- 
tice. Probably no country in the world ever re- 
ceived a larger percentage of outlaws as settlers 
within her borders. 

The expression, *' Gone to Texas," became pro- 
verbial as signifying that the criminal had fled from 
justice. The probabilities were that if several per- 
sons were introduced to each other on the soil of 
that territory, not a single one was known by his 
right name. 

There was an old couplet, which contained no 
poetry, but a great deal of truth : 

"When the other States reject us. 
This is the one that always takes-us" 

Possibly the origin of the name may be traced to 
these lines, for many a fugitive from justice could 
testify to the truth of the declaration. 

The character of the American emigrants to 
Texas became so notorious that Bustamante, the 
Dictator of Mexico, issued a decree forbidding any 
more Americans coming into the country. This, 
from the nature of the case, was inoperative except 
to a limited extent, for all Mexico could not have 
patrolled the boundary line of the immense terri- 
tory. But the issuance of the decree is proof of 
the statement that the majority of Americans who 
entered Texas were of the most disreputable 
character. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I9I 

This decree was revoked four years later, for it 
amounted to little more than an irritation to the 
hordes of the North who continually poured over 
the frontier and scattered through the illimitable 
territory. 

The material congregated on the soil of Texas 
was of the exact kind from which unsuccessful re- 
volutions are organized. The knife and pistol were 
a part of every man's wardrobe, and considered 
more indispensable than boots or hat. Neither 
weapon was allowed to rust for want of use. Gam- 
blers plied their unholy vocation all night and 
day ; murders were of such common occurrence as 
scarcely to excite remark. There was no thought 
of establishing schools or of developing the un- 
bounded resources of the favored country, except- 
ing on the part of a few, who probably felt that 
Texas must need be burned in the crucible in order 
to separate the gold from the dross. 

Such men, we repeat, while engaged in scenes of 
violence and outlawry, never forget to consider the 
matter of revolution. 

In the year 1833, the American settlers in Texas 
numbered about twenty thousand, and they con- 
cluded the time had come for establishing their 
independence. Accordingly they met in conven- 
tion and decided to separate themselves from Coa- 
huila. They prepared a State constitution and 
issued an address to the Mexican government, of 
which Santa Anna was the head. 

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was proba- 
bly one of the most detestable tyrants of all iiistory. 



192 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Treachery was inborn with him, and there was no 
vice of which man is personally capable that he was 
not personally guilty. 

He was born at Xalapa in 1798, and at the out- 
set of his career served in the Spanish army, in 
which he attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 
1 82 1. The following year, while stationed at Vera 
Cruz, he joined the movement inaugurated by Itur- 
bide, which resulted in the total defeat of the 
Spanish forces and the reduction of the whole of 
that province. 

In accordance with his treacherous nature, Santa 
Anna, within a twelvemonth, turned against Itur- 
bide, who had proclaimed himself emperor. Shortly 
after this the Mexican ^' Republic " was formed, 
and for ten years Santa Anna was engaged in de- 
fending the claims of rival chiefs for the presidency 
of this model government. 

Iturbide, Pedraza, Guerrero, and Bustamante 
were toppled over like so many ten-pins, and, in 
1833, Santa Anna himself obtained the president- 
ship of the republic. The only wonder is that he 
consented to wait so long before seizing the prize. 

This tyrant, therefore, was at the head of the 
Mexican government at the time of the Declara- 
tion of Independence of the 20,000 American set- 
tlers, and their address to the Mexican govern- 
ment was laid before him. 

It was impossible for one of his nature to return 
a frank reply to their request to be admitted as a 
separate State into the republic. He was appre- 
hensive of any such movement, for one of his 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 1 93 

treacherous nature was always ready to suspect 
treachery in another. 

But the governments of Coahuila and Texas 
having been overthrown, committees of safety were 
estabhshed, the first being appointed at a meeting 
held at Mina (now Bastrop), May 17, 1835. 

Goliad was captured by the Texans, October 9th, 
and the battle of Concepcion was fought near San 
Antonio on the 28th. 

Revolution having been set on foot, now moved 
rapidly forward. On the 3rd of the following No- 
vember a number of delegates from the Municipal- 
ities met at San Felipe de Austin, and gave them- 
selves the name of the '' Consultation." 

They showed their earnestness in the serious 
business by proceeding to organize a- Provisional 
government. Henry Smith was elected Governor, 
and Sam Houston was made Commander-in-Chief. 

San Antonio was taken on December loth, and 
the revolution pushed with such vigor that the 
entire armed force of Mexico was driven shortly 
after out of Texas. 

On the 20th of December a Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was issued at Goliad, and the freedom of 
the new State might have been considered settled, 
could Santa Anna have been brought to see*the 
justice of acknowledging it. But justice was not a 
quality of his nature, and in the single respect of 
his attempt to subdue the rebellious province, he 
did not transcend the inalienable right of all 
rulers. 

In the means which he used to subdue the Tex- 



194 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

ans, he showed himself as cruel and treacherous 
as the Comanches and Apaches around him. 

Santa Anna had been engaged in revloution 
most of his life since reaching manhood, and he 
knew the mettle of which the Texans were com- 
posed. No ordinary means would answer to sub- 
due them. If he attempted it with an inadequate 
force he would be overthrown, as so many of his 
incapable soldiers have been in recent years. 

He placed himself at the head of 7,500 men, and 
started for Texas with the determination to " stamp 
out " the detested Americans who had dared to 
issue a Declaration of Independence, as their 
fathers had dared to do sixty years before. 

He took with him some of his best lieutenants, 
who could be trusted to do his terrible work, and 
left the city of Mexico in the early spring of 1836. 

Meanwhile the Americans were straggling into 
Texas, without any organization or settled plan of 
procedure. But all were eager to measure swords 
with the Mexican ''Greasers,'' as they were termed, 
and whom they held in greater contempt than any 
other people known on the face of the earth. 

Such was the state of affairs when Colonel Davy 
Crockett left his home in Tennessee to join the 
patriots in Texas struggling for their independence. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I95 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Crockett's Trip to Texas — The Friends whom he Encountered 
on the Steamer — His Speech of Advice. 

We have endeavored to trace the course of 
Colonel Davy Crockett from the time he left his 
home in Tennessee until he reached the fortress of 
the Alamo. No authentic account of that journey 
has ever been published. What purports to be an 
autobiography of his gives a minute account of his 
travels with several companions, and the diary is 
complete up to within a few days of his death ; but 
Crockett was a man little accustomed to writing, 
and though in the high tide of his popularity, and 
when a member of Congress, he may have con- 
tributed a truthful narrative of the principal inci- 
dents of his life, it is unreasonable to suppose that 
he continued it after starting for Texas, and espe- 
cially that he kept up his full records amid the 
sulphurous smoke and horrors of the Alamo, or 
that had he done so, they should have been pre- 
served intact. 

The only survivor who was a companion of 
Crockett on the voyage down the Mississippi, so 
far as the writer knows, is Jonathan H. Greene, at 
that time a young and desperate gambler, but who 
reformed in 1842, made restitution of the large for- 



196 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

tune he had acquired, and with great self-sacrificing 
energy has devoted himself to humanitarian works 
since then. 

Mr. Greene retains a vivid recollection of those 
days, including the battle of San Jacinto, in which 
he was desperately wounded, and where he lay in 
the tent when Santa Anna was brought in a pris- 
oner. 

In a carefully written letter to us, Mr. Greene 
says : 

'' On my way down the Mississippi, on board the 
steamer Mediterranean, I met Colonel Crockett at 
Randolph, Tennessee, sixty miles above Memphis. 
When he renewed our acquaintance, he reminded 
me that we had met three years previous at Clarks- 
ville, Tennessee, where we went to attend a circus. 
At the time, we spent an hour or so in trying the 
range of our rifles ; ' I recollect,' said Crockett, 
* that you were suffering from a confoundedly bad 
cold, and I called you a circus rider.' 

'* It was as Crockett said ; I was slowly conva- 
lescing from a long attack of fever, and was not in 
as lively a mood as he, by any means. The few 
years that had elapsed had made no perceptible 
difference in the appearance of Crockett. He wore 
no beard, but was very eccentric in manner, and 
his face was one of those which always looked 
older than was really the case. I had seen him 
several times, while he was in Washington. 

" Colonel Crockett had no sooner stepped on the 
steamer than he found himself among acquaint- 
ances and friends. The invasion of Texas from 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I97 

the United States was the all-absorbing question 
of the day, and there were converging streams from 
the North in that direction. 

''Among those on board the Mediterranean — 
one of the largest and best of boats — I recall Sam- 
uel and John Carter, William Wood (as I under- 
stood of the firm of Yeatman and Wood, the 
celebrated bankers), George and James Cheatham, 
Samuel Searcy, Blanton McAlpin, Pleasant Wat- 
son, George Zollicoffer, Colonel Wharton, Timothy 
Gillam, J. Pointdexter, S. Ellis, Abner Ellis, and 
many friends from Kentucky. 

'* Crockett was full of anecdote and fun, and we 
all laughed over his stories, of which his fund was 
exhaustless. I remember one, which I have told 
many times since, but without the droll, entertain- 
ing manner of the great Tennessean. 

**'A neighbor of mine,* said Crockett, 'found 
some animal was making the most destructive kind 
of raids upon his hens. He watched for it contin- 
ually, but couldn't catch sight of it for a long time. 
From its tracks he discovered it was a large dog, 
which visited his place nightly, and sneaking 
among the roosts of the fowls slaughtered them 
wholesale. 

" ' One night the settler caught sight of the dog 
and fired, but so quickly, that he missed. Deter- 
mined that the thief should not escape, he dropped 
his gun and rushed upon him with his knife. 

" ' Well, it was the worst fight in which he was 
ever mixed up. He was never handled so roughly 
in all his life, and he had been in many desperate 



IQS life of colonel DAVID CROCKETT. 

scrimmages. The dog slit one of his ears, chewed 
his nose, ripped his clothes to tatters, peeled the 
skin pretty well off his face, and then trotted off. 

" * As he passed out where the moon shone upon 
him, the amazed settler caught a plainer view of 
him, and then discovered that instead of being a 
dog, it was a gigantic she-wolf. 

*' He went back to the cabin, and when he got 
within doors, examined himself to see whether he 
was all there. He then thought over the matter, 
and finally brightened up, for in telling the story 
afterward, he said he had one blissful consolation: 
* considered strictly as a fight,' said he, ' it was fust 
class, and I got the wust of it, but I'm cheered by 
the sartinty that I fit the biggest fight that was ever 
font in Tennessee.' 

" After our boat left Helena, we halted at Mont- 
gomery's Point on the Arkansas side, at the mouth 
of White River. It was here Colonel Crockett met 
Captain William Cumby, then residing at the 
mouth of the Arkansas, where he died many years 
after. 

'* Coloner Crockett introduced Cumby to his 
companions as one of his old Tennessee friends, 
and the crowd was a merry one indeed. Several 
years later. Captain Cumby fought a duel with Abe 
Garrison in a bar-room, on that same spot. It was 
a desperate one, hand to hand with bowie and pis- 
tol, and Garrison was killed. 

" Captain Cumby, * Doc ' Bennett, Crockett and 
myself, with three Mexicans from Fort Smith, 
traveled through the Indian nation. We went to 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. I99 

Fort Towson, and thence to Washington, Hemp- 
stead County, Arkansas, to call on a mutual friend 
of Crockett and Cumby. He was Hugh Blevins, 
of Tennessee. 

" We then crossed to Natchitoches, rode on to 
San Augustine, and finally reached Nacogdoches, 
where Bowie, Travers, Ricord and others joined us. 
Shortly after, in company with John Featherston, 
'Hoppy' Johnson, Ephraim Tally, and Mat Des- 
pallie, we went to Natchitoches, then to New Or- 
leans, and finally returned to Arkansas, whence we 
did our utmost in forwarding ' war material ' to 
Texas. 

''The steamer Mediterranean — to return for a 
few minutes — proceeded slowly down the river, 
making many stoppages. We came to at Colum- 
bia, Colonel Estill's plantation at Point Chicot, 
Lake Providence, Lake Washington, the mouth of 
the Yazoo, and Vicksburg. At the last named 
city, Colonel Vick, S. S. Prentiss, Governor Foote, 
and Aleck McClung escorted Crockett to the plant- 
er's house. McClung locked arms with Crockett. 
The weather was so bad that no public speaking 
was held. When Crockett took the steamer again 
he spoke a few words of farewell, and was loudly 
cheered by the crowds on the wharf. 

" I remember that many of the voices shouted 
the name of Texas, and wished us God-speed in its 
conquest. 

** Crockett made several excursions through parts 
of Texas, the Indian nation, and Arkansas. On 
one of these he was accompanied by two friends, 



200 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

one of whom was Colonel Sandy Faulkner, known 
as the ' Arkansas Traveler,' and one of the most 
genial gentlemen I ever met. 

" Faulkner wore military whiskers, which, like 
his hair, was of a glossy black. Everybody liked 
Sandy, and he and Crockett were much attached to 
each other. But Crockett's propensity to joke was 
so great, that when he came back with Sandy, he 
had a story to tell about him. It originated with 
Crockett, but was one of the best I ever heard 
when told by the eccentric Tennessean. It was 
rather severe on Faulkner, but he always laughed 
with the rest and never denied it, though I believe 
it was pure fiction. 

" They were riding through the wildest portion 
of Arkansas, but the path was known, and as a 
rule they found a stopping-place at the end of 
every twenty miles. But there was one stretch of 
fifty, through the woods, which they were obliged 
to make before they reached a cabin by the way- 
side. When they finally struck the latter, it may 
be judged they were tired and hungry enough to 
take a good rest and meal. 

*' ' Sandy wore a close-fitting cap,' said Crockett, 
with a side glance toward the ' Arkansas Traveler,' 
who was already smiling at what he knew was 
coming, * and when he took his seat just a little be- 
hind me, he was in such a hurry to get at the eat- 
ables that he snatched off his cap, and flung it to 
the floor. 

" ' A few minutes after, the son of the landlord, 
a young man, came in, and was walking toward the 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 201 

table, when he started mighty sudden Hke. I looked 
up, and saw he was craning his neck, and peeping 
behind and over my shoulder ; I didn't know what 
was the matter of him, but he hadn't been gone a 
minute and a quarter, when he came back and did 
the same thing. His mouth was wide open, and 
there was such a look of wonder on his face that 
he seemed struck dumb. But I was too busy eat- 
ing to bother my head. 

*' ' Bime by, he snickered, and said to Sandy, * I 
say, sir, ain't you bald-headed ? ' 

" ' You know how dignified Sandy is, and he 
straightened up so much at that, that he leaned 
over backwards. He scowled at the impudent 
young man, and made no answer. But the fellow 
stood there snickering and grinning and gaping, 
and it wasn't long before he asked the question 
again, ' I say, sir, ain't you bald-headed ? * 

'' * No, sir,' said Sandy, with an awful frown. 

'' * It wasn't five seconds before the young man 
out with the question again, and Sandy got mad. 
He fairly thundered, as he threw his shoulders 
back, ' No, sir, I am not bald-headed, sir ! ' 

" ' And then the fellow backed up against the 
door, and laughed till he dropped to the floor. 
When he could speak, he climbed to his feet again, 
and said, * Well^ all I've got to say then, stranger , is, 
that y Olive the longest face I ever seen on a living 
man ! ' 

" ' And then he roared again. Sandy turned as 
red as fire, and clapped his hand to the top of his 
head. Sure enough, he was as bald as your boot. 



202 LIFE* OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

He had jerked off his cap in such a hurry that he 
took his wig with it. He scrambled from his chair, 
and snapped up his cap mighty sudden. His face 
was redder yet, and he hadn't much appetite after 
that.' 

"Those who knew the genial Sandy Faulkner, 
can appreciate this story of Crockett. Sandy had 
natural fine black hair around his ears and neck, 
but there was a broad path over his forehead and 
crown which was like a billiard-ball. I have been 
told that he had this peculiar baldness from in- 
fancy, and he wore his wig with such skill that 
scarcely one person in a thousand would have sus- 
pected his hair was not natural. 

" It was when the steamer Mediterranean, with 
Crockett and his friends on board, came to rest off 
Helena, where the weather was very bad, that the 
* Crockett Fund,' as it was called, was formed. A 
number came on board, and I remember among 
them, James M. Estill, Archie Wood, R. M. and D. 
Curl. G. W. White, John Slidell, WiUiam R. Pres- 
ton, Governor White, John R. Grimes, Darius J. 
Green, A. L. McClung (duelist). Governor Foote, 
Colonel Vick, Dr. Anderson senior, and his son. 

" Judge McAlpin drew up the paper, and I give 
you the names of those who subscribed ten thou- 
sand dollars apiece. I have never seen the list 
published, but it is to be relied upon : 

John Slidell, - - - - $io,cxx). 
Governor White, _ _ _ 10,000. 
John R. Preston, - - - 10,000. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 203 



S. S. Prentiss, - 


- $10,000. 


'Doc' Bennett, 


10,000. 


Robert Wickliffe, - 


10,000. 


Col. J. M. Estill & D. Curl, 


10,000. 


James Guthrie & Purtell, 


10,000. 


Rowan Wooley Wickliffe - 


10,000. 



" The paper signed read as follows : 

"*We men, whose names are here set down, ob- 
ligate our willingness to pay the amount opposite 
to any person who shall be vouched for by a ma- 
jority of this committee — Colonel Davy Crockett, 
James Bowie, Colonel Hawkins, Captain Fanning, 
and Captain Travers — this money to be used for 
the purpose of aiding our countrymen now in the 
field, and to be further used in recruiting five com- 
panies of two hundred and fifty men each. And it 
is understood and agreed upon that these men will 
immediately march south to Red River, and enter 
into Texas, and there await orders to join such 
forces as may be present to co-operate with the 
United States army, and they are to serve under 
such officers as may be assigned to their command.' 

"The subscription made by 'Doc' Bennett in- 
cluded that of Featherton and myself, and it was 
understood among us three that it was to be known 
on the list as Colonel Crockett's personal subscrip- 
tion. 

" I saw Crockett sign a paper drawn up by Sli- 
dell, Zollicoffer, and Judge McAlpin, which I signed 
as a witness, without knowing its contents. James 



204 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

M. Estill and Bennett also put their names to it, 
and from the latter I learned some months later 
that it was merely Crockett's acknowledgment of 
the amount subscribed for him. It should be 
stated, that some of the large subscriptions were 
not made personally by the gentlemen named, but 
by their authorized friends. 

**John Slidell, then a lawyer of New Orleans, 
was given charge of the funds, which were deposited 
with Slidell, White, & S. S. Prentiss. Every dollar 
in that large list was paid when called for. 

** This, of course, was months before the barbecue 
at John Bowie's, below Helena. 

" I mentioned that Crockett, with several com- 
panions, including myself, made a call upon Hugh 
Blevins at Washington, Arkansas. Hugh was a 
great hunter from Tennessee, brother of John of 
Huntsville, Alabama, who was the owner of the 
celebrated race-horse, * Wilc^ Will of the Woods ' ; 
his brother William was a highly respected planter 
at Selma, Alabama, and was said to have killed his 
man ; their younger brother Dillon shot and killed 
Cooley Whitney at the gambling-table in Bell Tav- 
ern, Huntsville, in the fall of 1832. 

" Mat Despallie, of whom I have spoken as being 
our companion to Natchitoches was a villainous 
bully. He drew on me at Alexandria, Red River, 
in 1833, but I was expecting it, and shot him with a 
Derringer, when he was no more than six feet dis- 
tant. I hurried away, supposing he was killed, and 
was assisted to escape by J. Madison Wells' father, 
who kept me at his plantation several days, when 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 20$ 

I went down the river in the steamer Caspian. I 
found afterward that the ball which struck Des- 
pallie in the stomach was turned aside by a button. 
Wells did the job more effectually afterwards, but 
I am not sure whether it was Matt, or his equally 
bad brother, who was killed by Ex-Governor Wells. 
They were both as bad as bad could be. 

*' At Natchez, Crockett was the guest of A. L. 
Bingham, Colonel Claiborne, Judge L. Fitch and 
others. From that point, my recollection does not 
enable me to speak with certainty of the move- 
ments of Colonel Crockett, whom I regard as one 
of the purest patriots and ablest m.en that ever set 
foot on Texan soil. He and I separated at Au- 
gustine, and never met afterwards." 

Crockett was in continual demand as a speaker, 
and the following is given as a specimen of one of 
his humorous addresses on political affairs : 

" Attend all public meetings, and get some 
friends to move that you take the chair ; if you fail 
in this attempt, make a push to be appointed secre- 
tary ; the proceedings of course will be published, 
and your name is introduced to the public. But 
should you fail in both undertakings, get two or 
three acquaintances, over a bottle of whiskey, to 
pass some resolutions, no matter on what subject ; 
publish them, even if you pay the printer — it will 
answer the purpose of breaking the ice, which is 
the main point in these matters. Intrigue until 
you are elected an officer of the militia ; this is the 
second step toward promotion, and can be accom- 
plished with ease, as Iknow an instance of an elec- 



206 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

tion being advertised, and no one attending, the 
innkeeper at whose house it was to be held, having 
a miUtary turn, elected himself colonel of his regi- 
ment. You may not accomplish your ends with as 
little difficulty, but do not be discouraged — Rome 
wasn't built in a day. 

" If your ambition or circumstances compel you 
to serve your country, and earn three dollars a day, 
by becoming a member of the Legislature, you must 
first publicly avow that the Constitution of the 
State is a shackle upon free and liberal legislation ; 
and is, therefore, of as little use in the present en- 
lightened age, as an old almanac of the year in 
which it was framed. There is a policy in this 
measure, for by making the Constitution a mere 
dead letter, your headlong proceedings will be at- 
tributed to a bold and unshackled mind ; whereas, 
otherwise it might be thought they arose from 
sheer mulish ignorance. 'The Government' has 
set the example in his attack upon the Constitution 
of the United States, and who should fear to follow 
where the Government leads ? 

'' When the day of election approaches, visit 
your constituents far and wide. Treat liberally, 
and drink freely, in order to rise in their estima- 
tion, though you fall in your own. True, you may 
be called a drunken dog by some of the clean 
shirt and silk stocking gentry, but the real rough 
necks will style you a jovial fellow, their votes are 
certain, and frequently count double. Do all you 
can to appear to advantage to the eyes of the 
women. That's easily done — you have but to kiss 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 20/ 

and slabber the children, wipe their noses, and pat 
them on the head ; this cannot fail to please the 
mothers, and you may rely upon your business be- 
ing done in that quarter. 

'' Promise all that is asked," said I, " and more, if 
you can think of anything. Offer to build a bridge, 
to divide a county, create a batch of new offices, 
make a turnpike, or anything they Hke. Promises 
cost nothing, therefore deny nobody who has a 
vote, or sufficient influence to obtain one. 

" Get up on all occasions, and sometimes on no 
occasion at all, and make long-winded speeches, 
though composed of nothing else than wind — 
talk -of your devotion to your country, your 
modesty, and disinterestedness, or of any such 
fanciful subject. Rail against taxes of all kinds, 
office-holders, and bad harvest weather ; and wind 
up with a flourish about the heroes who fought 
and bled for our liberties in the times that tried 
men's souls. To be sure, you run the risk of, 
being considered a bladder of wind, or an empty 
barrel, but never mind that ; you will -find enough 
of the same fraternity to keep you in counte- 
nance. 

'' If any charity be going forward, be at the 
top of it, provided it is to be advertised publicly ; 
if not, it isn't worth your while. None but a fool 
would place his candle under a bushel on such an 
occasion. 

" These few directions," said I, *' if properly 
attended to, will do your business; and when 
once elected, why a fig for the dirty children, 



208 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

the promises, the bridges, the churches, the taxes, 
the offices, and the subscriptions, for it is abso- 
lutely necessary to forget all these before you 
can become a thorough-going politician, and a 
patriot of the first water." 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 209 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Sketches of General Sam Houston and Colonels James and 
Rezin P. Bowie. 



There are other names beside those of Colonel 
David Crockett identified with the conquest of 
Texas, and it is appropriate that in this place refer- 
ence should be made to the most prominent. 

The leading figure is that of General Sam Hous- 
ton, one of the most unique and extraordinary 
characters in American history. He was born near 
Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1793. 
While yet a boy his mother emigrated to Tennes- 
see, and at the age of fifteen he ran away and lived 
among the Cherokee Indians for three years. Dur- 
ing that singular piece of wilfulness he was utterly 
lost sight of by his family, who scarcely expected 
ever to see him again. 

In 181 1, he reappeared as suddenly as he had 
departed, -but remained only a short time. The war 
of 181 2 soon broke out, and he enHsted, serving 
against the Indians under General Jackson. He 
entered the army as a private, but was appointed 
ensign, and displayed such bravery that he won the 
lasting friendship of General Jackson. 

After the ratification of peace in 181 5, he was 
made lieutenant, and was stationed near Knoxville, 
and afterwards at New Orleans. In November, 



2IO LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

1 8 17, he was appointed a subordinate Indian agent 
to carry out the treaty with the Cherokee Indians 
which had just been ratified. The succeeding year 
he began the practice of law in Lebanon, Tennes- 
see. He soon after became adjutant-general of the 
State, and was recognized as a rising political power 
— a man with a " future " before him. 

In 1823, while yet a young man, he was chosen a 
Representative in Congress, and was re-elected the 
succeeding term. In 1827, he became governor of 
Tennessee, and two years afterward was united in 
marriage to the daughter of an ex-governor. Al- 
most immediately they separated forever. 

A great deal has been made of this singular act, 
and many have sought to throw a mystery around 
it, somewhat akin to that which envelopes the case 
of Lady and Lord Byron ; but there seems to be no 
doubt that the explanation has been given correctly 
by thousands. Houston was informed by his bride, 
immediately after marriage, that she loved another 
irrevocably, and he immediately released all claim 
upon her, the couple never living together as man 
and wife. 

In accordance with his eccentric and inexplain- 
ble character, Houston, in the month of April, 
1829, abandoned friends, civilization, and tempting 
political honors, and made his way to the Cherokee 
nation in Arkansas, where he was adopted as a son 
by a chief, and became a chief himself. 

He appeared in Washington as a champion of 
their rights, and secured the removal of several 
United States agents on the charge of frauds. His 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 211 

vigor and persistency in this matter got him into 
several difficulties with the friends of these agents. 

At this time Texas, as we have shown, was be- 
ginning to attract wide attention, and Houston 
saw in it an inviting field for the exercise of his 
peculiar genius. He made his appearance in the 
territory in December, 1832, and immediately be- 
came a prominent figure in the revolutionary move- 
ment. He was especially active at the constitu- 
tional convention the succeeding year ; and, when 
difficulties began, was chosen to the chief command 
of the military district east of the Trinity. In 
October, 1835, he led his forces to the camp of 
General Austin, who was besieging San Antonio. 

In was in the year following that Albert Sydney 
Johnston, who had graduated at West Point in 
1826, entered the Texan army as a private, and 
eventually rose to the chief command. 

Sam Houston, therefore, was the most conspicu- 
ous figure in Texas, when Colonel Davy Crockett 
reached the borders of the embiyo republic. 

There can be no question as to the personal 
bravery of Houston, who seemed to be the embodi- 
ment of many contradictions of character. He was 
pompous, conceited, careless, and addicted at times 
to profanity and drink. 

When Davy Crockett was presented to Houston 
at Little Rock, the latter received his callers with- 
out the formality of clothing himself, excepting 
with a newspaper, if that may be termed such, 
which he held before him. His manner led to 
the remark by one who was present, that he 



212 LIFE OF COLONEL 15 AVID CROCKETT. 

was envious of the brave Tennessean, but Crock- 
ett conducted himself with becoming modesty, 
even though his chief did not. The only remark 
the visitor indulged in, by way of reference to the 
unbecoming conduct of Houston, was the charac- 
teristic one, that he was in a bad plight to repel 
musquitoes. 

With all his peculiar personal traits, Houston 
possessed great courage and ability. A man 
who can represent one State in Congress for two 
terms, then become its governor, then become 
commander-in-chief of a revolutionary army, win 
a brilliant and decisive victory, attain the presi- 
dency of the new republic, be chosen again to 
Congress, and finally be elected to represent the 
same as United States Senator, and then as gover- 
nor, — who unflinchingly opposed the secession 
lunacy, — such a man, we repeat, is possessed of no 
ordinary ability, and the State of Texas owes Sam 
Houston a debt of gratitude which can never be 
repaid by the coming generations. 

REZIN P. AND COLONEL JAMES BOWIE. 

Another name associated with the stirring mem- 
ories of the Texan war of independence is that of 
Colonel James Bowie, whose history is singularly 
romantic and eventful. 

His name is attached to that of the terrible 
weapon, so popular in the southwest a generation 
ago, although it was his brother Rezin P. who 
caused the weapon first to be made. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 213 

Rezin P. and James Bowie were natives of Ten- 
nessee, and became residents of Opelousas Parish, 
Louisiana, when they were very young. Their 
father was in good circumstances, and at his death 
left the family independent. The mother of these 
remarkable brothers was a woman of Roman stern- 
ness and heroism, well fitted to bring forth children 
whose personal bravery was probably never ex- 
celled by that of any man living or dead. 

It is said that when the news reached her of 
the death of James at the Alamo, she only re- 
marked that she was sure of one thing — Jim had 
not died from a wound in the back; after which she 
went about her household duties as usual. 

The following sketch is by William H. Sparks, 
of Atlanta, Georgia, who was personally intimate 
with the famous brothers, and is very accurate in 
his statements : 

" Rezin P. Bowie was a man of most exalted genius, 
wonderful originality and high attainments ; was 
better educated, perhaps, in the French and Spanish 
languages than the English. Eminently social and 
genial in his nature, fond of adventure, as careless 
of the present as indifferent to the future, quick to 
serve a friend as to punish an enemy, but never 
pursuing a quailing foe ; always ready to forgive, as 
ready to do justice to an enemy as to a friend — little 
in nothing, but noble even in his vices. 

" J ames Bowie was equally brave, equally generous. 
There was no malice in his nature. Cool, deter- 
mined and enterprising, he sought adventure for its 
hazards and courted danger as he would the girl he 



214 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

loved. Tolerant of opposing opinions and always 
respectful to an adversary, slow to anger, but when 
aroused as fierce as the hunted tiger, he wanted the 
social qualities of his brother and was without a 
particle of his genius. 

"Whenever it was possible without dishonor, 
Rezin P. Bowie avoided difficulties with his fellow- 
man. James was quicker, but never took offence 
where he did not feel it was intended, but was a.lways 
belligerent in the presence of his enemies. In this he 
differed materially from his brother. No one would 
ever suppose from the manner or emotion of Rezin 
P. Bowie that he was in the presence of an enemy, 
though every man about him was such — always 
cool, always courteous, never the first to give offence. 

" With James the deeper ardor of his nature for- 
bade this equanimity. The flash of his eye, the 
compression of his thin lips, told in a moment the 
presence of an enemy. This presence he would not 
bear. It was his habit promptly to settle all diffi- 
culties without regard to time or place, and it 
was the same whether he met one or many. At 
the same time he was self-possessed and con- 
spicuously cool. An unyielding enemy, he pursued 
unrelentingly, but was always willing to forgive his 
worst foe when properly approached. He was sin- 
cere in all he said. No man was ever deceived as 
to his feelings or conduct. The fiery impulse of 
his nature was instantly subdued into a cool caution 
in the immediate presence of real danger. His 
power of will on such occasions was remarkable, and 
sometimes subjected him to the imputation of fear, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 21 5 

SO instantaneous was the change from the fervor of 
passion to the quiet coolness of apparent trepida- 
tion. It was then that he was terribly dangerous 
to an over-confident foe. 

" To this imperturbable coolness, in the memo- 
rable conflict upon the sand-bar at Natchez on the 
19th of September, 1827, he owed his life. A feud 
had existed for years between two parties of the 
parish of Rapides, on Red River. The principals in 
these parties were Dr. Maddox, Major Wright and 
the Blanchards on the one part, the Curreys, the 
Wells and Bowies on the other. 

" A challenge had passed between Dr. Maddox 
and Samuel Wells, and a meeting arranged to take 
place near Natchez, in the State of Mississippi. 
Hither the parties repaired with their friends. It 
was agreed that no person should be present but 
the combatants, their seconds and surgeons. The 
place of meeting was a large sand-bar, immediately 
below the upper bluff, near the city of Natchez. 
The sand-bar, at low water, is of considerable width, 
bordered above and below with forest growth ; on 
the opposite side of this bar were stationed the 
friends of each party ; one of these parties was 
something nearer the combatants than the other. 
Colonel Crane was the second of Maddox. Between 
him and James Bowie and General Currey, there 
had long existed a deadly feud, and some months 
before this affair General Currey shot Colonel Crane 
with a shot-gun, on Bayou Rapides, disabling one 
of his arms. 

" The parties to the duel approached the spot 



2l6 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

selected for the combat from different directions. 
The preliminaries were soon arranged. The com- 
batants took their positions and exchanged two 
shots without effect, and the difficulty was amicably 
adjusted, 

'' Bowie was just in the edge of the woods with 
Generals Wells and Currey, armed with pistols, 
Bowie carrying a huge knife. As the dueling party 
started to leave the grounds, Bowie and party 
started to meet them. The friends of Maddox 
and Crane on the opposite side of the sand-bar see- 
ing this and being furthest from the party started on 
a run to meet them as soon as they should reach the 
retiring combatants. General Currey was the first 
on the ground, closely followed by Bowie. Currey 
immediately advanced upon Colonel Crane and re- 
marked, * Colonel Crane, this is a good time to 
settle our difficulty,' and commenced drawing his 
pistol. Bowie did the same. Crane was armed 
with a brace of dueling pistols, and, standing, 
awaited the attack of Currey. At this moment 
Currey was seized by his brother and begged to 
desist. Bowie and Crane fired at each other, it was 
said without effect. There were those who said 
Bowie was wounded. . This latter statement I think 
the most probable, for Bowie stopped, felt of his hip, 
and then drawing his knife limped toward Crane, 
who was watching General Currey. Released from 
the hold of his brother, Currey was advancing. At 
this moment Crane leaped across a small ravine, 
cut through the sand by the rain-water flowing from 
the acclivities above, and, resting his pistol upon his 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 21/ 

crippled arm, fired at Currey, wounding him fatally. 
He fell. Crane was now disarmed, and Bowie ad- 
vanced cautiously upon him. Clubbing his pistol 
he struck Bowie over the head, as he avoided his 
knife adroitly, and felled him to the ground. Crane 
retreated a step as his friend Major Wright ap- 
proached. Bowie, in the meantime, had risen and 
was sustaining himself by holding on to a snag 
which the river when at flood had left sticking 
firmly in the sand. Major Wright advanced upon 
him and with a long, slender spear, drawn from a 
walking-cane which he carried, and seeing Crane's 
danger, attacked Bowie, who made a pass to parry 
the spear with his knife, in which he failed. The 
spear was of cold iron, and striking the breast-bone 
bent and went round upon the rib. Bowie at this 
moment seized Wright and fell, pulling Wright 
down with and on top of him, and holding him 
strongly to his person. Wright was a slender and 
by no means a strong man and was powerless in 
the hands of Bowie, who coolly said to him : ' Now, 
Major, you die ! ' and plunging the knife into his 
heart killed him instantly. 

"THE BOWIE KNIFE. 

" This knife was made by Rezin P. Bowie out of a 
blacksmith's rasp, or large file, and was the original 
of the famous Bowie knife. When James Bowie 
received this knife from his brother he was told by 
him that it was * strong and of admirable temper. 
It is more trustworthy in the hands of a strong man 
lo 



2l8 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

than a pistol, for it will not snap. Crane and 
Wright are both your enemies ; they are from 
Maryland, the birth-place of our ancestors, and are 
as brave as you are, but not so cool. They are 
both inferior in strength to yourself and therefore 
not your equal in a close fight. They are both 
dangerous, but Wright the most so. Keep this 
knife always with you. It will be your friend in a 
last resort and may save your life.' After this con- 
flict Rezin P. Bowie carried this knife to Phila- 
delphia, where it was fashioned by a cutler into the 
form of a model made by him, and I presume the 
knife is yet in the possession of some member of 
the family. 

*' There was no reconciliation between Crane and 
Bowie after the conflict, though Crane aided per- 
sonally in carrying Bowie from the ground, and 
Bowie thanked him and said : * Colonel Crane, I do 
not think under the circumstances you ought to have 
shot me.* Almost immediately upon the attack 
of Currey upon Crane the fight between their 
friends became general, in which there were several 
wounded, but Wright and Currey were the only per- 
sons killed. All the men engaged in this terrible 
affair were men of wealth and high social position, 
and the two parties included almost every man of 
fortune in the extensive and wealthy parish of 
Rapides. All are gone save Maddox and General 
Wells, both very old and still residing in the same 
parish. Between these two there has never been 
any reconciliation. Wells is the brother of J. 
Madison, of Louisiana. These brothers are hostile 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 219 

politically and personally to each other, and have 
not spoken with each other for more than twenty 
years. Upon a recent occasion the writer met in 
the same hotel in New Orleans General Mumford 
Wells and Dr. Maddox, who is now, at the age of 
eighty-four years, a vigorous and active man. Wells 
is nearly as old and equally vigorous. We had not 
met in many years, and both being personal friends 
of fifty years standing, I attempted to effect a re- 
conciliation between them. This was promptly 
declined by both, and, in all probability, they will 
die enemies. 

"BOWIE AND CRANE. 

" It was thought such would be the same with 
Bowie and Crane. But some years after their con- 
flict on the sand-bar Colonel Crane, happening in 
New York, discovered a runaway slave belonging 
to his father, who resided in Maryland, and had 
him arrested. The negro was brought into court 
by writ of habeas corpus. It was necessary that he 
should be identified and proven to be a slave and 
the property of Crane. Colonel Crane was the 
only witness present who could prove this. The 
lawyer of the negro asked the witness if he could 
swear the negro was born a slave, and being an- 
swered in the affirmative, asked Crane * if he could 
swear he himself was born a free man.' 

" Indignant at the insulting impertinence, Crane 
threw down his glove at the feet of the attorney, 
and in words further insulted him. This caused 



220 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

some commotion in court from those who crowded 
the lobby. It happened that James Bowie was 
among that crowd. He had witnessed the entire 
proceedings and coolly remarked : 

'* * Be quiet, gentlemen. The court-room is no 
place for a mob. This business will soon be over, 
and then is your opportunity if you desire a fight.* 

" He then deliberately walked within the bar, 
and approaching Colonel Crane, said : 

" ' Colonel, you are threatened by a mob, now in 
the court-room. I am here, sir, and will stand by 
you.' 

''Crane bowed with the ease and dignity of a 
knight of chivalry, saying : 

'' ' I thank you. Colonel Bowie. I could not 
have more reliable aid than from your gallant 
hand.' 

*' Bowie bowed respectfully to the presiding 
judge, turned, and gave the attorney a look and a 
smile he will remember while he lives, and returned 
to the lobby. 

" Ten days subsequently they met at Niagara. 
Crane advanced, tendered his hand to Bowie, 
which was accepted politely, and without expla- 
nation ; amicable relations were restored, which 
were never after disturbed. 

*' James Bowie always dressed with good taste ; 
his extreme politeness and fascinating manners 
were captivating, and he was much esteemed by 
his friends, and those who knew him best. His 
name, however, was a terror to those who only 
knew him from public "report. The many daring 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 221 

and perilous adventures of his early life heralded 
his name to the whole country, and made him the 
observed of all, wherever he was seen. This had 
caused his name to be a synonym for desperate 
daring and bloody deeds, and the theme of many 
an imaginary and ridiculous story of doubtful mo- 
rality. 

'' If there ever lived a man who never felt the 
sensation of fear, it was James Bowie. He was by 
nature fond of adventure — the more hazardous, the 
most courted. A thousand stories might be told 
truthfully of these adventures where his life was 
periled ; of conflicts where the odds against him 
were so great as to seem overwhelming, and where 
his coolness, courage and daring triumphed. His 
bare presence was sufficient to allay anger and 
quiet the most excited crowd. The same was 
equally true of his brother, Rezin P. They were 
much attached to each other, and held all property 
in common, and there never was any disagreement 
between them. They were equally enterprising, 
equally brave. Here the resemblance ceased. 

*' Rezin P. was careless in dress and equally so 
about his associates. He could adapt himself to 
any society, b>ut in all he was the most prominent 
figure, leading always in conversation, and always 
suiting, this and his manners to his company. No 
man ever remained in his society one hour that 
did not carry away something said or done by 
Bowie that was original or startling. Both brothers 
were truthful to the extreme. Devoid of dissimu- 
lation, frank in manner, sincere in conduct and ex- 



222 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

pression, they held in contempt all little men and 
all little meannesses. They despised a petty thief, 
but admired Lafitte; despised a man who would 
defraud a neighbor or deceive a friend, but would 
without hesitation co-operate with a man or party 
who or which aspired to any stupendous scheme or 
daring enterprise without inquiring as to its moral- 
ity. Their minds, their souls and aspirations were 
all grand, and they rarely failed to achieve whatever 
they undertook. 

''THE SLAVE TRADE. 

"About 1 817 or 1 818 there were imported into 
Georgia by certain parties a number of African 
negroes. They were discovered and taken posses- 
sion of by the State authorities and brought to the 
seat of government, Milledgeville, and by some 
process of pretended lavv were sold into slavery to 
the number of fifty or sixty. These were carried 
away and retained by the purchasers when the sale 
was arrested. The remaining sixty or seventy were 
retained in custody of the officers of the State. 
There appeared a claimant by the name of Madraza, 
from Havana, for these slaves. The slave trade 
then was legitimate in all the Spanish-American 
possessions. It was proven that John Madraza, of 
Havana, was the owner of the ship, and the slaves 
captured in Georgia were all that had been saved 
from the wreck, which had occurred on the coast 
of Florida; that they had been taken possession 
of by parties who had no interest in the ship or 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 223 

slaves, and secretly carried into Georgia. The suit 
before the court was to recover the money for the 
slaves sold and those remaining in the hands of the 
State officers. Madraza appeared with an interpre- 
ter, as he could only speak Spanish. At the final 
trial, proof of the most unquestionable character 
was produced to establish the identity of Madraza, 
and that he was a resident merchant of Havana 
and the owner of the ship and cargo. A recovery 
was had of the money and the negroes, all of which 
was paid and deHvered to Madraza. 

" The prime mover and he who had furnished the 
money to buy and ship these negroes resided in 
New Orleans. The negroes were purchased in 
Cuba from a regular trader and shipped to Apala- 
chicola, and sent up to the agency of the Creek 
Indians, where they were captured. The New 
Orleans owner knew Rezin P. Bowie, and to him 
communicated the condition of things and asked 
his aid. ' It is easy enough,' said Bowie ; ' estab- 
lish a house in Havana, let it claim the negroes, let 
the ship be lost and the negroes stolen and carried 
into Georgia, without the consent of the owners.' 
It was all left to Bowie, who was to be amply com- 
pensated if successful. He established the house, 
was himself Madraza, furnished the proof and suc- 
ceeded, but was never compensated. 

"TEXAN INDEPENDENCE. 

" For some years the Bowies were planters in the 
parish of Lafourche and Terrebonne. This interest 



224 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

was under the charge of P.ezin P. Bowie. James 
was only an occasional visitor. Most of his time 
was spent in Texas, whose independence he was 
scheming to accomplish, in connection with Austin, 
Houston, Lamar, Fannin, Travis, and some others. 
He had implicit faith in the wisdom and abilities 
of his brother. To obtain his counsel he made 
sometimes a hasty visit to him. The care of his 
family and plantations kept Rezin P. Bov/ie from 
active personal participation in this great enter- 
prise. He frequently complained of the imprudent 
impetuosity of his brother. He said : ' James is 
too impatient to wait for events ; he will hurry 
them before matters are ripe for action.' He re- 
marked in my presence: * Sam Houston is the 
master-spirit in this movement. He is a great and 
prudent man, despite his vanity and buffoonery. 
Lamar is full of genius and is chivalrously brave, 
and is truly a noble spirit, but is not practical. 
Fannin and Travis are enterprising and brave, but 
not calculated to plan or to lead in a desperate 
fight. So is Lamar ; and if there is wisdom enough 
in these men to follow the counsels of Houston and 
Austin, their success is certain.' 

** James Bowie was among the first to take up 
arms in the v/ar for Texas independence. He re- 
sisted the counsels of Austin and Houston, and fol- 
lowing the impulse of his nature, with Crockett, 
Travis and Fannin, who were all equally as impul- 
sive and ardent, with an insufficient force, despis- 
ing their enemy, they precipitated a conflict with 
vastly superior numbers, and when their own small 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 22$ 

force was divided — a portion under Fannin at 
Goliad, a part at San Antonio — both these divisions 
of their little army were attacked and destroyed. 
The body of Bowie was found in the Alamo, with 
twenty dead Mexicans lying around him, and of 
his whole command only two were saved. 

"THE DEATH OF THE BOWIES. 

" The death of James Bowie was acutely felt by 
his brother. From that until his death, which soon 
followed, he brooded over his loss, lost much of his 
vitality and all that disposition to rove in search 
of adventure. He had sold his plantation and re- 
moved to a small farm on the Mississippi, in the 
parish of Iberville. His two daughters, his only 
living children, were growing up to womanhood, 
were being educated, and he devoted much of his 
time to them. They were sprightly, and possessed 
many of the traits prominent in his own character. 
They were, like him, fond of rough sports and out- 
of-door amusements. They loved a gun and pistol 
and excelled in their use. Both of them were ex- 
pert marksmen, both rode gracefully on horseback. 
The elder of the two, I think, was the most grace- 
ful rider I ever saw, man or woman. She grew up 
a queenly woman in appearance; was very intelli- 
gent, modest, but not diffident, full of energy, with 
a quick and cutting wit, and a self-possession which 
was never disturbed by any occurrence. She was 
so fond of pistol-shooting that she became remark- 
able for her accuracy, and the press noticed this 



226 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

frequently and not always as respectfully as her 
father thought it should.' This called a card from 
him which contained a delicate warning that it 
should forbear even the mention of his daughter's 
name for the future. Never after were they al- 
luded to. 

"A thousand anecdotes might be related of the 
daring intrepidity of Rezin P. Bowie, his coolness 
in the most trying moments, his indifference to 
danger and his generous forbearance to a foe once 
in his power. In him was eminently combined the 
moral and the physical which constitutes true cour- 
age. There was no malice in his nature. He 
never hated, for he never feared. He held a bully 
in contempt, because he despised pretensions of 
every kind. 

" The death of his brother affected him more 
than was apparent to the common observer. His 
physician remarked to me, a year after the event, 
that the death of James Bowie was killing Rezin. 
His daughters married soon after completing their 
education. They married cousins, men of high 
position, who were wealthy. This broke up the 
family. After this he gradually withdrew from the 
associations of his better days and, in 1838, died, in 
the fortieth year of his age. 

"PERSONAL TRAITS. 

" Both these brothers were entirely exempt from 
every species of dissipation ; never drank, never 
gambled, or indulged in any immoral or debasing 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 22/ 

habit. Rezin P. Bowie really was a great man ; his 
intellect was eminently superior ; he perceived 
quickly, and reasoned with great perspicuity and 
cogency ; his language was beautiful, his wit pun- 
gent and polished, and his illustrations always ap- 
posite and palpable ; his form was perfect, erect, 
and tall, and perfectly proportioned ; his manner 
always graceful, but never effeminate ; his muscular 
strength enormous. His most remarkable feature 
was his eye ; with the exception of S. S. Prentiss, 
it was the most varia-nt in expression of any I ever 
met. 

"There was a marked similarity in the minds 
of these two men. Prentiss was the most eloquent 
as an orator, Bowie was his superior as a conver- 
sationalist. They both elucidated their ideas by 
apposite anecdotes and figures drawn from sur- 
rounding objects. Both were coolly brave, and 
eminently generous. The difference was more in 
education than in capacity. Prentiss condensed, 
Bowie amplified. Prentiss used more Saxon 
words, Bowie more Norman, polishing the as- 
perity of the thought. Prentiss struck with the 
two-handed sword of * Richard Coeur de Lion,' 
Bowie cut with the keenness of the scimeter of 
Aladdin. Prentiss was ambitious ; Bowie, en- 
tirely without ambition, was indifferent to the fas- 
cinations of public applause, or the seductions of 
public office. 

" Such was Rezin P. Bowie, as I knew him, and 
yet the world, away from his acquaintance, but 
heard of him only as a bold and desperate man, 



228 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

without scruples, and delighting in blood. A more 
tender and affectionate nature never lived. A 
more faithful friend, kinder neighbor, loving hus- 
band and father in all my long life I have never 
known. 

"It was my good fortune to know all the men 
who were most prominent as actors in conceiving 
and carrying through to success the revolution of 
Texas. All of these were extraordinary men, many 
of them were highly educated as well as talented ; 
all were honest and earnest of purpose, and, for- 
tunately, none of them were rich. I say fortu- 
nately, for rich men never inaugurate or execute a 
revolution. They come to love their money more 
than their country, and to better the condition po- 
litically of the latter is to struggle against the tyran- 
nies of those who control the government, and to 
hazard their money. It is the enterprising, liberty- 
loving poor man, oppressed by tyrannical exactions, 
who is without the means to control or bribe power, 
who strikes to be free. Wealth is cautious and con- 
servative, and rather bears those ills it has, than 
fly to those it knows not of. 

*' Of the men most conspicuous in this revolu- 
tion, Houston combined more of the elements of 
greatness than any other. Lamar had more genius, 
more chivalry, and was brave to rashness, but he 
was wanting in practical prudence. The impetu- 
osity of his genius too frequently overrode the 
cooler dictates of his judgment. Talent seems an 
inheritance in this family. There has not been a 
time within the last century that there has not 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 229 

been a great man in it. And now, the first orator, 
and one of the foremost statesmen of the South, 
and perhaps, of the nation, is L. Q. C. Lamar, of 
Mississippi, the nephew of the late Mirabeau B. 
Lamar. 

*' Lamar, Houston, and Fannin were Georgians, 
all of them the schoolmates of my boyhood ; 
Crockett and the Whartons were Tennesseans ; 
Bowie was born in the same State, but was reared 
in Louisiana; Austin was a Missourian, and Branch 
Archer from Virginia. Every one of these were 
men formed by nature to be leaders. Their enter- 
prise was daring, and their intrepidity made it suc- 
cessful. They wrested from Mexico a dominion 
larger than the kingdom of France, and, though 
all died poor, they bequeathed to posterity a fame 
unstained by crime or corruption — a boon worth 
more than all which fraud and venality can ever 
bequeath." 

The following incident was told by a Methodist 
preacher some years ago : 

" He said he was one of the first Methodist min- 
isters sent to Texas by the Methodist Conference. 
He traveled on horseback, crossing the Mississippi 
below Natchez ; that the first day after crossing the 
Mississippi River he was overtaken by a horseman 
dressed in buckskin, armed with rifle, pistol, and 
knife. They entered into conversation, and he 
found him to be intelligent, pleasant, and well ac- 
quainted with the geography of the country. Nei- 
ther one inquired the name or business of each 
other. Both were aiming at the same destination, 



230 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Texas. Finally they reached a new town, filled with 
wild, desperate characters from other States. He 
posted a notice that he would preach at the Court- 
house the first evening of his arrival there. At the 
hour named he found the rude structure thronged 
to overflowing — with men only. He gave out a 
hymn, and all joined in singing, and sung it well, 
but when he announced his text and attempted to 
preach, one brayed in imitation of an ass, another 
hooted hke an owl, etc. He disliked to be driven 
from his purpose, and attempted again to preach, 
but was stopped by the same species of interrup- 
tion. He stood silent and still, not knowing 
whether to vacate the pulpit or not. Finally, his 
^ traveling companion, whom he did not know was 
in the house, arose in the midst, and with stento- 
rious voice said : 

" * Men, this man has come here to preach to 

you. You need preaching to, and I'll be if 

he sha'n't preach to you ! The next man that dis- 
turbs him shall fight me. My name is Jim Bowie.* 

** The preacher said that after this announcement 
he never had a more attentive and respectful audi- 
ence, so much influence had Bowie over that reck- 
less and dangerous element." 

Respecting the invention of the famous bowie- 
knife, an intimate lady-friend of the Bowie family, 
in a note to the writer, under date of December, 
1878, and written in New Orleans, says: 

** The knife was invented by Rezin P., brother of 
James, for the purpose of hunting wild cattle on 
the plains of the Opelousas. The first one was 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 23 1 

manufactured by one of his slaves at the private 
blacksmith-shop on his plantation. It was never 
intended for any other use except that of a simple 
hunting-knife, nor was it ever used otherwise, until 
in the duel at Natchez, when James Bowie acted as 
second, and all the seconds were drawn into the 
fight. James Bowie married Ursulita de Veramen- 
dez, who was the only daughter of the governor of 
that name, and although born at Monclova, was of 
Castilian origin. Santa Anna was her godfather, 
and it is said that when all the bodies of the brave 
men slain at the Alamo were burned, Santa Anna 
caused that of James Bowie to be interred instead, 
but would allow no mark to be placed on the 
grave. This was to prevent his family reclaiming 
his body. At that time Mrs. James Bowie and her 
child were already deceased. 

'* The State House at Austin contains a large 
and excellent painting of James Bowie, who has a 
nephew living in Austin, and another one in Gal- 
veston. Their mother, the daughter of Rezin P. 
Bowie, resides in Galveston with her son. Major 
John S. Moore." 



232 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Plans for the Conquest of Texas — Bowie's Barbecue near Helena 
— Distinguished People Present — Enthusiasm and Pledges of 
Money and Support given the Scheme. 

The conquest of Texas was one of the favorite 
schemes throughout a large portion of the Union 
during the first third of the present century. Es- 
pecially in the South and Southwest was this the 
case. Men high in the councils of our country were 
identified with the movement, contributed hberally 
from their means, and did their utmost in forward- 
ing men and supplies to the debated ground. 

At the time of which we speak, Andrew Jackson 
was President of the United States, and he was an 
ardent friend of the project. His faith grasped not 
only Texas, but Mexico itself, and there is every 
reason to believe that he hoped for a pretext which 
would present itself to the United States for se- 
curing the " annexation " of that very large, but by 
no means desirable country. 

But President Jackson appreciated his position 
too well to commit himself, or to do or counte- 
nance openly any action inconsistent with his ex- 
alted station as President. His encouragement 
was rather of an indirect character. When Colonel 
Davy Crockett went South, he bore with him a let- 
ter from the President, introducing him as a '' God- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 233 

chosen " patriot ; he appointed men to Government 
positions who were openly committed to the pro- 
ject, and did a still more positive act by which his 
sympathy was more practically shown. 

On the west side of the Nueces River is a strip 
of territory which our Government claimed as a 
part of Louisiana, but which the Mexicans refused 
to surrender. At the time the Texas movement 
was assuming practical form, and hundreds of ad- 
venturers were flocking thither, President Jackson 
ordered General Gaines to the disputed territory 
with a force of three thousand men, and the com- 
manding officer was instructed to go into the camp 
with them on the west side of the Nueces. 

The interpretation of this movement was that 
they were, in short, to support the invaders. In 
case the latter were repulsed by Santa Anna, they 
were to fall back upon General Gaines, who was 
considered powerful enough not only to repulse 
the Mexican army, but, gathering the swarms of 
adventurers around him, to march on to the con- 
quest of Texas, and to open the drama or tragedy 
as it might be called, which was to close with the 
conquest of Mexico itself. 

It never would have done to proceed openly with 
this fillibustering business, and the leaders resorted 
to a very ordinary but effective method of giving it 
its initial impetus. 

The leaders of the Texas movement having 
agreed that the time had come for action, and 
realizing how necessary it was to hide their inten- 
tions from the Mexican authorities, adopted the 



234 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

suggestion of John Bowie, an elder brother of the 
famed Rezin P. and James Bowie. John was a 
planter of independent means, living a few miles 
below Helena, and he caused invitations to be sent 
for hundreds of miles throughout the surrounding 
country to attend a grand barbecue to be given at 
his place a few weeks afterward. These invitations 
were of the most cordial character, and covered a 
vast area of territory. 

The announcement was that the barbecue was to 
be given in honor of Berry Hawkins, who was at 
that time the Land Office Receiver, and a secret 
partner of John Bowie in all his ''outside'* 
schemes. 

Probably there was not one man in a hundred of 
those who received an invitation who suspected its 
underlying purpose, although many knew that 
Berry Hawkins was one of the leaders of the 
Texan scheme, and was expected to take one of 
the detachments that was to start for Texas, so 
soon as preparations for the movement could be 
made. 

As the day approached for the barbecue, the 
horsemen began wending their way toward John 
Bowie's plantation. They came from the depths 
of the Arkansas wilderness, and the furthest bound- 
aries of the Choctaw nation. They traversed miles 
of lonely forests, camping in the woods at night ; 
but they were men who had handled the rifle, the 
pistol, and the Bowie knife, and who rather courted 
than avoided danger. 

Many of the visitors were from the east. They 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 235 

knew of the contemplated invasion of Texas, and 
some of them possibly received a hint of the mean- 
ing of Berry Hawkins' barbecue. These men, like 
the raftsmen on the Mississippi, the White and the 
St. Francis Rivers, were eager for anything that 
promised adventure. On the outskirts of this 
motley multitude, like the bushwhackers of a dev- 
astating army, were the professional gamblers and 
thieves — men who live upon the credulity and ver- 
dancy of others, and who always hold themselves 
in readiness to draw and shoot, on as slight a provo- 
cation as do the proverbial Texan cowboys of to-day. 

The barbecue marked an epoch in the wild days 
of Arkansas. Those who were present were num- 
bered by the thousand, and among them were men 
who were known as the leaders in the important 
scheme on foot. The entertainments were of the 
most varied character, as may well be supposed. 
Numerous sheds and buildings had been erected to 
accommodate the crowds, and whisky flowed like 
water. Gambling, horse-racing, cock-fighting, and 
dancing were the chief amusements, which con- 
tinued for several days and nights. 

Long before its conclusion the real purpose of 
the gathering became known, and was freely dis- 
cussed by the thousands of adventurous spirits that 
had flocked thither. When the smiling Berry 
Hawkins passed among the crowd — and he did so 
frequently — he was greeted with applause, and 
shouts of " Hurrah for Hawkins and Texas ! " 

Among the prominent men present were General 
Bill Montgomery of Montgomery's Point ; his son- 



236 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

in-law, Major Moss ; the brothers Notripp, who 
lived at Arkansas Post ; Colonel Beauford of Missis- 
sippi ; three of the brothers Cheatham ; John Simp- 
son, a well-known land speculator, and many of the 
leading planters for many miles around. 

On the third day, when the barbecue was about 
to end, its purpose was openly announced, and 
everything was done to start the momentous 
enterprise with a vim and flourish. It was in- 
dustriously circulated that General Quitman, one 
of the most popular leaders in the South, had re- 
signed his commission in the regular army, for the 
purpose of taking command of one wing of that 
which was to conquer Texas from the dominion of 
Mexico. 

The noted gambler who was known as '' Doc 
Bennett," (though that was not his real name) was 
one of the trusted leaders of the enterprise. He 
possessed immense wealth, was personally brave, 
and was a fine officer. His wife and two children 
had been murdered by the Mexicans near Vera 
Cruz, when he Vv^as traveling through the country. 
His hatred of the people amounted to a mania, and 
he threw his whole soul into the enterprise. 

He addressed the barbecue, just before it broke 
up, in terms of impassioned eloquence, calling upon 
those present, who chose not to fight, to contribute 
of their means to carry forward the cause. He was 
a man of brilliant culture, and when he announced 
that he would contribute five thousand dollars, and 
called upon the others to join him in the enter- 
prise, the effect was electrical. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 237 

More than thirty thousand dollars were sub- 
scribed on the spot, a fifth of which was immedi- 
ately handed in. Then, amid the excitement and 
enthusiasm, Berry Hawkins rallied 160 men about 
him, and started on a swinging gallop for the 
Brazos River, while the other leaders gathered 
detachments of equally eager patriots — if the term 
is allowable under the circumstances — and headed 
toward the plains of Texas. 

Davy Crockett and a few personal friends were 
already well advanced on their way, and Sam 
Houston was on the spot, so to speak, and kin- 
dling the fire, which was soon to spread and never 
cease till the last hostile Mexican was driven from 
the soil. 

There was no want of enthusiasm, nor of men 
and means ; but there was a most deplorable lack 
of one essential — that was of military organization 
and a clearly defined course of action on the part 
of the leaders. 

Had a plan of campaign been carefully studied 
out and agreed upon by the military authorities 
who were at the head, and had something like dis- 
cipline been enforced from the beginning, the in- 
vasion from the American side would have met 
Vv^ith no serious check from the Mexicans under 
their ineffective leaders. 

But the defenders of Texas from the Mexicans 
were simply a turbulent mob — hordes of adventurers 
flocking thither, bristling v/ith Bowie knife and 
eagerly grasping gun and pistol, while they craned 
their necks forward on the backs of their mustangs, 



238 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

peering eagerly through the mesquit bush for some 
glimpse of the despised " Greasers." 

They looked upon the conquest of Texas as a sort 
of huge revelry and gigantic festival — an expansion 
of Jim Bowie's barbecue into continental dimen- 
sions, with the prospect of unlimited plunder loom- 
ing up in the near background. 

It was agreed that the money subscribed should 
be deposited at Fort Touson, at the mouth of the 
Kiemitea River, in February following, and nothing 
can be mentioned as stronger proof of the earnest- 
ness of the subscribers than the fact that on the 
day fixed every dollar was handed in, and not a 
penny of it clung to any of the numerous hands 
through which it passed. 

Everything seemed in the most auspicious shape 
that could be expected or wished, and the multi- 
tudes assembled at the barbecue were in the high- 
est spirits, when Doc Bennett received alarming 
news. 

He did not let it be known what it was, but he 
understood at once that it was of the gravest na- 
ture, and that it threatened overwhelming disaster 
to the cause so dear to his heart. 

It came directly from Texas, and was in effect 
that General Houston was grossly mismanaging 
affairs in that section ; that Santa Anna had be- 
come fully apprised of the intentions of the Amer- 
icans, and had set out for Texas at the head of a 
well-organized army ; that the Texan forces were 
scattered and without competent leaders, and that 
unless some radical and decisive steps were taken 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 239 

at once the cause would be crushed beyond hope 
of resurrection for years to come. 

Oppressed with the disheartening tidings, Ben- 
nett left Helena at once and made all haste to 
Louisville. 



240 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Various Motives for Seeking the Conquest of Texas — Colonel 
Crockett's Patriotic Letter — The Historic Conference at Louis- 
ville — Crockett's Last Letter. 

There were many governing jnotlves on the 
part of the leaders who were plotting for the con- 
quest of Texas. Some desired it for the extension 
of slave territory ; others saw in it the indispen- 
sable step toward acquiring Mexico itself, while a 
few, who suspected the hand of President Jackson, 
were seeking to frustrate his purpose, and to 
prevent any of the honor being reaped by him. 
But by far the great majority were simply ardent 
friends of Texas, and were willing to risk money 
and life in securing its independence. 

Davy Crockett was angered to discover the pre- 
ponderance of the political among the governing 
motives of the leaders. It began to look to him 
as though an arrangement was taking form by 
which he and a few others were to do the fighting, 
while the politicians behind were to reap the 
honors. 

Nothing was so distasteful to one of Crockett's 
open disposition, and with much earnestness he ad- 
dressed the following letter to Doc Bennett. 
This missive, as was the habit with Crockett, was 
signed with his name in large letters directly across 
the body of the writing : 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT, 24I 

*' All hopes of becoming reconciled to Houston's 
proposal regarding Jackson's conquest of Mexico 
through Generals Gaines and Quitman for political 
speculation are at an end. Sooner than submit we 
would pass over the line and abandon the cause. If 
the battle is to be fought by one party and the honor 
and emoluments are to be enjoyed by another, we as 
honorable men will not be participators. While 
Houston has been on the outskirts surrounded by 
Federal guns and fed at the cost of the Federal 
Government, 50,000 men who have followed his 
even song are at the front for the signal for battle. 
Sooner than submit to be thus treated we will 
return to our homes or travel beyond the South- 
western border. Santa Anna's army is now march- 
ing forward, and hordes of savages are in his advance 
covering the Western border. Our men are now 
in constant trouble and may have already been 
driven from their posts, while hundreds have been 
murdered. Cabler's command of 200 have scouted 
one hundred miles direct on the route that Santa 
Anna was, and by all appearances he will be at 
San Antonio by March I. This leaves but one 
month for us to prepare to fight or run. Cabler's 
men accompanied the bearer of despatches from 
Santa Anna which were delivered in our possession. 
They speak of 40,000 men under command of 
President Santa Anna, including 6,000 lancers. 
We make allowance and credit 30,000, every man 
of which he will require for body-guards after his ar- 
rival. Harrington has forwarded me nearly 400 
men, all tigers, well armed. He is with them. His 



242 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

head seems to be filled with wild ideas, yet he is well 
balanced. He professes that Cabler idolizes him. 
If they keep their men together they will be a 
strong arm. We have received 800 well-equipped 
men by way of the Arkansas and they are now 
being distributed by Cabler, Harrington and Arm- 
strong along the west front. Houston said he 
would come in time for our defence. We will not 
rely on him, but march further south and drop to 
the rear. With a few field-pieces and a good or- 
ganization we can manage our own men. Lamar, 
Austin, Fanning, Rush, Travers, Bowie and others 
are competent military men, but we must organize, 
issue commissions, and have a President com- 
mander-in-chief. The cry is we want no more 
bell-sheep to lead us. We don't want missionaries 
of the United States to do our talking and drink 
our whisky. We can do both for ourselves. Har- 
rington states that he, Cabler and Armstrong are 
going south after Hawkins, whom I fear is mas- 
sacred, with all his men, Let us trust in God and 
our hearts that he is not. Adieu. I am now 
starting for our outposts, twenty miles west. We 
look anxiously for the fulfillment of the promise 
which induced us to hazard our lives and all our 
prospects. Yours as ever, 

" Crockett. 
"No news from Sam Houston since 1st, sent 
me by way of Augustine." 

The '' Harrington " named in the foregoing 
letter as forwarding the 400 tigers was J. H. Green, 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 243 

the reformed gambler, from whom we have gath- 
ered many of the facts bearing upon the invasion 
and conquest of Texas. 

" Doc " Bennett, as we stated, while attending 
the barbecue at Helena, received news which caused 
him to hasten to Louisville without delay. 

The conference which he met there was an his- 
torical one. Among those present were George D. 
Prentice, John Rowan, Judge Purtell, C. M. Thur- 
ston, William Pilchers, James Blenn, James Guth- 
rie, J. J. Crittenden, Robert Wickliffe, Judge 
Wooley, Colonel Avis Throckmorton, Dr. Baum, 
Dr. Pinkerton, and Dudley of Lexington, Kentucky, 
John Norton of Lexington, General Leslie Combs, 
R. M. Johnson, General William Butler, Hon. Ben 
Harding, Judge Buckner, Judge Bullet, J. L Jacob, 
J. D. Swift, Hon. Tom Marshall, Humphrey Mar- 
shall, Henry C. Pope, Henry Lazarus, George T. 
Gray, Robert K. White, Penn the well-known 
editor, and numerous others. 

Bennett, after giving his report, addressed this 
assemblage in terms of passionate eloquence. He 
confessed that his deadly earnestness in the busi- 
ness was inspired as much by the desire for ven- 
geance upon the race itself for the murder of his 
wife and children, as by his desire to wrest Texas 
from Mexico for the sake of Texas itself. 

But he had traveled extensively through the 
country for ten years, and his knowledge was so in- 
timate, that the men who listened to him gave 
great heed to his words, feeling they were worthy 
of serious attention. 



244 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

He assured them that Texas could be taken in 
three months, and that a small organized army 
could march to the capital of Mexico itself. Ben- 
nett did not hesitate to make known his distrust 
of Sam Houston's delays and vacillating course, 
and he presented the following letter from Davy 
Crockett, which was read amid breathless silence 
to that historic assemblage. 

This letter is believed to be the last letter ever 
penned by Crockett, who wrote with his large round- 
hand, his name being signed, as always, in bold char- 
acters across the face of the written page. 

The latter is dated San Antonio, whither Crock- 
ett had gone some time before, with a few of his 
brother patriots. The letter was addressed to Col. 
Richard M. Johnson, who handed it to Hon. Ben 
Harding, the secretary of the meeting, and he read 
it to his friends : 

" I have thoroughly tested the strength of our 
silent forces, and to-day, were we called upon to 
draw, the stiletto of three out of every five men 
would be buried in the heart of the Mexican gen- 
eral or his soldiers. There are now in Texas 100,000 
men who understand English, and more than fifty 
per cent of this number are with us, if not by arms 
at least by sympathy, and want to win a country 
that will make a dozen States. Texas will do this. 
Probably, when once the revolt is made, the Mex- 
ican troops will be like runaway horses — the more 
they run, the more fright they gather, and they 
will keep on until all are stampeded. There is no 
more news regarding the 400 men under Hawkins. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 245 

We have heard nothing regarding the material 
(cannon) so long promised by way of R. R. (Red 
River). We have been thirty miles further south- 
west, and find many parties who are traveling east- 
ward. We will not return without the weather 
(the enemy) requires. Three hundred men have 
passed on their way to the States by Trammel's 
Trail (a blazed path through the timbers). They 
were in squads of ten, fifteen, and twenty, and will 
return by February 10. Dr. Ricord says we have 
news from the agent (Sam Houston), but we have 
heard nothing' from the manufacturer (President 
Jackson). Agent promises large accessions of new 
stock (men and munitions of war). If it don't 
arrive on the 15th, we will return and make ship- 
ment ourselves on our own account. 

" Later. — Hawkins and friends have been put to 
rout. Hawkins is missing. It is believed by Dr. 
Ricord that the worst has not been discovered. 
Dr. Ricord finds that General Gaines has been 
ordered forward to the west of the Neches River; 
with what purpose Houston has no intelligence. 
If you have, communicate swiftly. The army of 
Santa Anna is marching eastward, and we will have 
to fight them. Have a more competent man than 
Houston. Houston has dealt with us in prevarica- 
tions. Colonel Bowie and Travers and our forces 
are all ready for an advance. 

• "D. Cr©ckett." 



246 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



San Antonio — Its Fiery History — Its final Capture by the Tex- 
ans under General Burlison. 



The city of San Antonio de Bexar, as it was 
formerly called, is probably the most interesting 
and picturesque city in Texas. It is known now as 
San Antonio, but is universally pronounced in the 
State, Santone, 

It lies seventy-five miles southwest of Austin, 
and may be said to consist of three separate towns: 
the old town of San Antonio proper, lying between 
the two rivers ; the Alamo, east of the San An- 
tonio, and Chihuahua west of the Pedro. This 
portion is also frequently known as Mexico, — not 
an inappropriate name, for it is as characteristically 
Mexican as any straggling town that can be found 
south of the Rio Grande. 

The English, Spanish, German, and French are 
spoken by many of the inhabitants, and the popu- 
lation is so mixed that public notices in the churches 
and at public resorts are generally posted in three 
languages. 

San Antonio, viewed from a distance, is strikingly 
beautiful and impressive. It nestles in a large am- 
phitheatre, the mountains and prairies sloping down 
to it from all directions. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 247 

Through this quaint old town the lovely San 
Antonio River winds its way. The San Pedro is a 
smaller stream, and the city itself is intersected by 
connecting streams, thus supplying San Antonio 
with pure, refreshing water, which possesses a pecu- 
liar and pleasing bluish tint. 

Creeping vines, bananas, fig, and shade trees 
grow luxuriantly in this semi-tropical town, many 
of the old houses being almost hidden by the 
wealth ©f vegetation. In the spring these are one 
rriass of flowers, whose perfume fills the air, while 
the singing birds give to the whole an enchanting 
picture as of fairy land. 

But where there is so much that is pleasing to 
the eye, there is a great deal that is the reverse. 
The streets are narrow and ill-paved, and on the 
outskirts and in many quarters are found wretched 
hovels, whose miserable occupants in any less 
favored climate would perish of exposure. 

San Antonio is one of the few ancient cities of 
our country, having been founded in 1692 by Fran- 
ciscan friars from France, who established them- 
selves in that remote though lovely spot, with a 
view of introducing civilization and Christianity 
among the fierce Comanches and Apaches. 

The mission-houses which they erected are still 
standing as monuments of their labor, which were 
rewarded with indifferent success. These struc- 
tures were strongly built, and will doubtless stand 
for many years to come, though large portions of 
them are in ruins. 

They were built in enclosures of thick, powerful 



248 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

adobe walls, with embrasures for defensive weapons, 
against which the vengeful red man hurled his 
spears and arrows in vain. Some of these mission- 
houses have the candles burning on their altars, 
which have never been extinguished since first 
lighted hundreds of years ago, and the devout wor- 
shipers still gather within the massive and partly- 
fallen walls, just as they did when the shout of the 
wild Indian was heard without, while the outside 
world scarcely knew of the existence of these friars 
buried in the remote wilderness. 

The mission-houses stand on either side of the 
San Antonio, at varying distances from each other, 
below the city. Their names are La Purissima, 
Concepcion, La Espada, San Jose, and San Juan. 

San Antonio has had a fiery history. The name 
** Espada," signifying '* The Sword," of one of the 
missions, is typical of its experience. 

San Antonio became the focus of the war 
caused by the revolt against Spain. Only after a hot 
fight was the city captured on the 4th of March, 
1 81 3. Precisely three months later, 8,500 Span- 
iards and Mexicans attacked the town with great 
fierceness but they suffered a disastrous and 
bloody repulse. 

The purpose of retaking the city, however, was 
not given over, and on the 1 8th of August, the 
Spaniards once more marched against it. Instead 
of remaining within the city and awaiting their at- 
tack, the revolutionists filed out on the open plain 
to fight them. The defenders in turn suffered a 
terrible defeat, nearly six hundred American ad- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 249 

venturers losing their lives, and San Antonio again 
fell into the hands of the Spaniards. 

Besides these crucial experiences, the Comanches 
and Apaches have greatly harassed the place, more 
than once threatening its very existence and fre- 
quently destroying the crops at the very doors of 
the settlers. 

One of the most memorable struggles witnessed 
by the battle-scarred town, was its capture from 
the Mexicans by General BurHson on the lOth of 
December 1835. The particulars of this fight mark 
it as a most extraordinary one in every respect. 
There were fully fifteen hundred men in the town, 
while the attacking forces were only one-eighth as 
numerous. 

Every advantage seemed to be on the side of 
General Cos and his Mexicans. They had walled 
up the streets leading from the public square, with 
the intention of " dying in the last ditch." The 
attack of the Texans, however, proved irresistbile. 
They drove the Mexicans from house to house, the 
assailants themselves sometimes clambering the 
roofs, in their eagerness to reach the " Greasers.'* 

General Cos found it impossible to hold his 
ground, and his demoralized forces slowly gave way, 
fighting as they retreated before the impetuous 
Texans, who kept up the attack unintermittingly, 
for five days and nights, at the end of which time 
General Cos, who had gathered his forces in the 
Alamo, hoisted the white flag in token of surrender. 

It is important to mention at this point the terms 
upon which the Mexican General Cos surrendered 



250 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

to General Burlison, for they have a bearing upon 
the events that follow. 

The Mexican leader agreed to retire within six 
days, with his officers, arms and private property, 
on parole of honor, and he pledged himself not to 
oppose the re-establishment of the constitution of 
1824. The infantry and the cavalry, the remnants 
of Morale's battalion, and the convicts, were to re- 
turn, taking with them ten rounds of cartridges as a 
precaution against attacks from the Indians. 

All public property, money, arms and ammuni- 
tion were to be delivered to General Burlison, with 
some other stipulations respecting the prisoners, 
of such a liberal character that the Texans would 
not have accepted them but for the astonishing 
fact that not a single round of ammunition was 
left them after the incessant five days' fighting. 

General Ugartechea had arrived only the day 
before with several hundred convicts, but they 
were of no account in a fight, and were probably 
accepted at their true value by the Mexicans, who 
were not much better. 

The latter lost some three hundred during the 
five days' fight, while the Texans had less than 
a half dozen killed, with perhaps twice as many 
wounded. There must have been an amazing 
amount of poor marksmanship during the pro- 
longed fusillade. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 25 1 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Within the Alamo. 

When Colonel Crockett and his friends reached 
San Antonio there were 1200 citizens in the town, 
who seemed very indifferent as to the fate of the 
garrison. The building was built in--4774, but 
the walls once surrounding it, have long since 
disappeared. The structure itself is in a fine state of 
preservation, and is used as a storehouse by one of 
the leading merchants of the city. 

The garrison at the Alamo, at the date of which 
we speak, consisted of 183 men, under the com- 
mand of Colonel William Barrett Travis, while the 
famous Colonels Jim Bowie and Crockett were as- 
sociated with him. Probably no more desperate 
men were ever brought together in a single 
enterprise. 

Among them were desperadoes from all parts of 
the Union, each " armed to the teeth." Many 
of them carried the terrible weapon known as the 
Bowie knife, while the majority possessed several 
pistols and rifles. There was an abundance of 
ammunition. All the conditions were such as to 
insure one of the most memorable contests of 
American history. 

The arrival of Colonel Crockett delighted the 



252 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

small garrison. He was known to the leaders as 
one of the bravest of men, and his addition to their 
forces was equivalent to that of a dozen persons. 
Colonels Travis and Bowie greeted him warmly, 
and Crockett felt that he was among kindred 
spirits. 

The particulars of the memorable siege and fall of 
the Alamo, cannot be known with certainty, inas- 
much as no defender ever Hved to tell the history, 
but from the legends gathered from some of the 
Mexicans concerned and from a few of the cowardly 
inhabitants of San Antonio itself, the following 
account has been collated, though it must be re- 
membered that no one can vouch for its entire 
accuracy. 

At the time Colonel Crockett joined the garrison, 
there was no immediate force in the vicinity. 
Santa Anna was infuriated over the capture and 
parole of his brother-in-law, General .Cos, and was 
in the mood to show no mercy to the insurgents, 
who were equally eager to meet him in combat. 

A lookout was established at the Alamo, and the 
scouts were sent through the surrounding country, 
so as to prevent anything like a surprise. From 
the battlements streamed a blood-red flag, on 
which were the letters in large characters, 
*^ T-E-X-A-S." 

On the 22d of February, 1836, trustworthy news 
was brought the Texans that Santa Anna was 
within a few miles of the town. At sunrise, the 
whole Mexican army was descried, marching in 
regular order and making in their showy uniforms 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 253 

a most brilliant display. No doubt they intended 
to strike awe into the hearts of the little band of 
insurgents by their marching and appearance, but 
the defenders felt anything but fear at the sight of 
the force, large as it was. 

The banner borne at the head of the Mexican 
force was of a crimson color and was accepted by 
the Texans as signifying that no quarter would be 
shown excepting upon unconditional surrender. 

Up to this time there had been no regular oc- 
cupation of the Alamo, though most of the Texans 
slept there. It was now decided, in order to prevent 
themselves being surrounded, to take up their 
quarters in the massive structure. 

This was scarcely done, the defenders carrying 
with them their guns, ammunition and provisions, 
when Santa Anna marched in and assumed pos- 
session of the town. 

On the same afternoon he sent Colonel Travis 
a formal demand to surrender the garrison, threat- 
ening, in case of refusal, to put every man to the 
sword. The reply to this was a cannon-shot, and 
the Mexican commander immediately began prepa- 
rations to bring the defiant rebels to terms. 

At dusk. Colonel Travis sent an express to Col- 
onel Fannin at Goliad, four days* march distant, 
notifying him of the peril of himself and little band 
and asking him to send assistance without an hour's 
delay. 

The messenger employed to carry this important 
despatch was a sailor who had once been under 
Lafitte, the notorious pirate. 



254 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

The following morning, the Mexicans began 
erecting a battery on the banks of the San Antonio, 
three hundred yards distant, and at intervals during 
the day, they practiced so as to get the exact range 
of the Alamo. 

The marksmanship was poor, and no damage 
was inflicted. The same day some thirty re-en- 
forcements from Gonzales managed to join the 
garrison, and they were right royally welcomed. 

The following proclamation had been issued by 
Colonel Travis, and displayed in San Antonio : 

*' February 24. 
" I am besieged by a thousand Mexicans, with 
Santa Anna at their head. On their arrival, they 
sent and demanded an unconditional surrender of 
the garrison under my command, or we would all 
be put to the sword indiscriminately. I answered 
their demand with a cannon-shot. I have sustained 
a bombardment and heavy cannonade for the last 
twenty-four hours. I have not lost a man. Fel- 
low-citizens, assist me now, for the good of all ; for, 
if they are flushed with one victory, they will be 
much harder to conquer. I shall defend myself to 
the last extremity, and die as becomes a soldier. 
I never intend to retreat or surrender. Victory or 
death ! 

'' William B. Travis, Col. Commanding." 

This stirring appeal was thrown away. Not a 
solitary response was made, and Colonel Travis, 
Avho had sought personally to enlist some recruits, 
went back to his devoted band, feeling that, in all 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 255 

probability, he, like the rest, were soon to meet 
their doom. 

The intrepid Colonel Jim Bowie, whose very 
presence was a host of itself, had been indisposed 
for several days, and was at last compelled to take 
to his bed. He occasionally roused himself, and 
crept forth to cheer his friends, but he continued to 
fail, and it was a most dispiriting sight to see him 
growing more and more helpless as the need of his 
matchless services became hourly greater. 

On the 27th of February, the cannonading was 
renewed, and ten bombs fell into the fort, exploding 
without doing injury. 

Some alarm was created by discovering that the 
provisions were running low, and the Mexicans 
were making efforts to cut off the supply of water. 
The settlers were rapidly fleeing, to avoid the out- 
rages which the enemy was committing. 

The following morning, it was seen that the 
Mexicans had planted a piece of ordnance within 
gunshot of the Alamo, and they commenced a hot 
cannonade of the very spot where Crockett was 
sleeping. 

He sprang out, ascended the rampart, and saw 
the gunner in the act of firing the piece. Before 
he could do so, Crockett shot him dead. 

A second Mexican caught up the match, but an- 
other rifle was passed to Crockett, who picked him 
off; a third, fourth, and fifth followed, while the 
hunter killed every one with the rifles which were 
immediately passed him by the group of Texans 
that had followed him to the roof. 



256 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

That silenced the gun, for the time at least. 

On the 3d of March, all hope of receiving assist- 
ance from Goliad or Refugio was given over. Col- 
onel Travis addressed his men, and exhorted them, 
in case the enemy should carry the fort, to fight to 
the last breath, and make the victory a disaster to 
their enemies. 

The brave Texans replied with three cheers. 

The bombardment continued all this day and the 
succeeding, producing no appreciable effect, while 
full three hundred of the Mexicans had been shot 
by the unerring rifles of the garrison. 

For eleven days the little band of Texans kept 
twenty times their own number at bay, under 
Santa Anna, who became so exasperated that he 
determined the Alamo should be carried, if it cost 
him every man. 

On Sunday morning, March 6, at daylight, the 
sound of the Mexican bugle notified the Texans 
that the crisis had come, and they hurried to their 
posts. 

In the gray light, the four thousand Mexicans 
were descried pouring tumultuously forward, all 
shouting, while their band played the Deqicelo, which 
signifies no quarter. 

Santa Anna, caring nothing for the lives of his 
soldiers, divided his infantry into columns, and sur- 
rounded them by cavalry, who with their sabres 
drove them to the work of carnage. 

The Texans were cool and silent. 

The terrible hour, they knew, had come at last ! 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 257 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Texan Thermopjdae. 

At three o'clock Sunday morning March 6, 1836, 
the Matamoras battalion was moved to a point 
nearer the river and above the Alamo. They were 
supported by two thousand men under General Cos. 

The sound of the bugle was heard at four o'clock, 
and after two hours of desperate fighting, repulses 
and frightful losses, General Castrillon's division 
succeeded in effecting an entrance in the upper 
part *of the Alamo, in a sort of outwork, now a 
courtyard. The columns attacking the north, 
west and east sides, were hurled back by the first 
fire of the defenders, and all three of them concen- 
trated on the north front, because the houses on 
the west and east gave the garrison great advan- 
tage. 

The bugle again sounded the charge, and a 
second time they were repulsed in confusion, be- 
fore reaching the foot of the wall, against which 
they strove to place their scaling ladders. As 
we have stated the Mexican bands were playing 
the Dequelo, signifying that no quarter would be 
given the garrison, who were fighting with a bravery 
beyond description. 

The windows and doors were barricaded and 
guarded by bags of dirt, heaped five feet high, and 



258 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

along the roof were other piles. Behind these the 
Texans fought muzzle to muzzle and hand to 
hand. 

Santa Anna gave the signals of battle from a 
battery near the Commerce street bridge. At the 
third charge he encouraged his men in person. It 
was this last charge which enabled the Mexicans to 
reach the foot of the wall, where they were so close 
that the Texans could not fire down upon them. 
The ladders were hastily placed in position and the 
cowardly assailants were forced to ascend them by 
the officers in the rear, sword in hand. As they 
reached the tops, they were tumbled back and the 
ladders overturned. The places of the dead and 
wounded were instantly filled by others, and the 
attempt was repeated again and again, until the 
garrison were worn out by the terrific struggle. The 
latter were suppHed with several rifles apiece, and 
from behind the dirt bags they fired at random, for 
there could be no misses, when the foe were hud- 
dled like sheep before the muzzles of their guns. 
With no time to reload their discharged pieces, 
they used them as clubs. 

The continual crash of fire-arms, the shouts of 
the defiant Texans, the shrieks of the dying, the 
yells of the Mexicans, the frantic commands of the 
officers, and the martial music of the bands, made 
the scene indescribable in its very sublimity of 
terror. 

When the outer walls were gained the garrison 
took refuge in the chapel, while the cannon beside 
which Travis fought, was turned on the Mexicans 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 259 

and swept the court-yard below. Each room in 
the Alamo was the scene of a fierce struggle be- 
tween the smalt band of patriots and the horde of 
Mexicans, who poured upon them like a resistless 
m.ountain torrent. In the long room, used as a 
hospital, the sick and the wounded fired rifles and 
pistols from their pallets. 

A cannon was shotted with grape and canister 
and turned upon these sufferers. It was aimed all 
too well, and, after the fire the bodies of fourteen 
defenders, torn, black and mangled, told the 
dreadful story. At the entrance of the room, it is 
said more than forty Mexicans were stretched in 
death. 

Colonel Jim Bowie was sick and helpless in bed, 
when two Mexicans approached the door of the 
apartment raised their guns and fired at him. 
Then one of the Mexicans ran forward to complete 
the work of the rifles. The Louisianan was dying 
then, but rousing himself by a last effort, he caught 
his assailant by the hair of the head and plunged 
his knife into his body. Both fell back dead. 

At last only six of the garrison were left alive. 
They were surrounded by General Castrillon and 
his soldiers. The officer shouted to them to sur- 
render, promising that their lives should be spared. 
In the little group of Spartans were Davy Crockett 
and Travis, so exhausted they were scarcely able to 
stand. Crockett stood in an angle of the fort, the 
barrel of his shattered rifle in his right hand, 
while the massive Bowie in his left was dripping- 
with blood. His face was crimson from a gash in 



26o LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

his forehead, and nearly a score of Mexicans 
were stretched around him, either dead or dying 
from his fearful blows. 

There were a few brave and humane officers, 
and among them were General Castrillon and Bur- 
dillon. They spoke sympathizingly to Crockett 
and Travis, and with several other officers walked 
to where the scowHng Santa Anna stood and asked 
that the surrender of the few survivors might be 
received. 

The reply was an order that all should be shot. 
Seeing his treachery, the enraged Crockett roused 
himself, and swinging his Bowie aloft, made a 
furious rush for the Mexican Nana Sahib. The 
intrepid Tennessean was riddled with bullets 
before he could pass half the intervening dis- 
tance. 

Almost at the same moment, the other five were 
shot down. Only a few minutes before, Evans, 
according to previous agreement, started with a 
torch for the magazine, but was killed before he 
could reach it. 

The Alamo had fallen ! 

Over one thousand Mexicans were slain, and the 
one hundred and eighty three Texans who did it, 
were slaughtered in turn. 

When the awful tumult had subsided, Santa 
Anna sent for the Alcalde, ordered the clothing 
stripped from the dead, who were then hauled in 
ox-carts to an open field northeast of the church, 
where they were thrown upon a pile and burned to 
ashes. • 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 26 1 

Obviously, there can be no certainty concerning 
the details of the fall of the Alamo. J. H. Greene 
is positive that one of the survivors was a servant 
named Nassau, a native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, 
who told Greene he was asleep outside the Alamo, 
when it fell. Nassau was known as *' Little Nas, 
or Nat." The other survivors were a babe and its 
mother, Mary Britton, who christened it Emily. 
The mother and child were well cared for by the 
State of Texas. 

A gossipy sketch of an interview with a charac- 
ter in New York, known as *' Old Uncle Bogardus," 
was recently published in the N. Y. Sun, to which 
this reply was written. 

Washington, D. C., Nov. 27, 1883. 

I see in The Suit to-day, an article entitled '' He 
Knew Davy Crockett," in which " Old Uncle Bo- 
gardus" is made to tell some anecdotes of the 
Tennessee hunter. These may all be true, but the 
closing sentence, which tells of Crockett's life and 
death in Texas, is not true. 

-Uncle Bogardus" says: ''Crockett went to 
Texas, where, after a series of daring military ex- 
ploits, he was finally killed at Fort Alamo, in San 
Antonio De Bexar. He was one of the six sur- 
vivors who, under promise of being spared, at last 
surrendered, and were afterward treacherously put 
to death by Santa Anna's orders." 

This is all a mistake. Crockett never had the 
opportunity to perform any '' daring military ex- 
ploits " in Texas, because there was no force of 



262 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

Mexicans east of San Antonio, and Crockett arrived 
there from the East just before the Mexican army, 
under Gen. Cos. arrived from the West. 

The Texas forces undertook to defend the 
Alamo, solely to enable Houston to collect an 
army that could meet the two Mexican armies 
advancing into the country. Every man who went 
into the Alamo knew it would be his tomb. No 
one surrendered. Crockett was killed inside the 
walls while defending himself to the last, with his 
trusty rifle used as a club. 

The only persons who " surrendered," or were 
taken alive in the Alamo, were Mrs. Dickinson, and 
her infant girl Angelina, afterward known as ** The 
Child of the Alamo," and a negro servant, who be- 
longed to or waited upon Col. Travis. 

I was one of the children in the Mission Refugio 
when it was taken, just previous to the fall of the 
Alamo, by the other Mexican army under General 
Urrea, and saw the brave defenders of that place 
shot down and lanced after they had surrendered as 
prisoners of war. 

The stubborn defence of the Alamo enabled 
Houston to collect the forces with which he met 
and defeated the united armies of Cos and Urrea, 
under Santa Anna, at San Jacinto. 

The monument to the heroes of the Alamo, a 
plain shaft that stood in the old State House at 
Austin, has inscribed on it the most expressive sen- 
tence in the English language : '* Thermopylae had 
three messengers of defeat ; the Alamo had none." 

I have often talked with all three of the sur- 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 263 

vivors of the Alamo, and your "Uncle Bogardus" 
is the first person I ever heard of who said Crockett 
surrendered. He is mistaken. 

E. N. H. 

The following letter is also given. It will be- 
noticed that it differs in some slight particulars 
from the other accounts. These differences, it is 
not probable, will ever be authoritatively settled. 

Washington, Feb. 5, 1884. 
Captain Reuben M. Potter, in his criticism of my 
sketch of Colonel David Crockett in the Decem- 
ber number of the Magazine of American His- 
tory, takes issue with me on the statement that 
the garrison of the Alamo surrendered. I was 
fully aware at the time of writing the sketch 
that this had been a mooted question, but from 
the research that I gave the subject, I was 
satisfied that the weight of authority favored 
the affirmative view. Captain Potter may be as- 
sured that no part of that article was written on 
the evidence of extravagant slory-tellers, by whom 
he thinks the author may have been misled. The 
writer was born and passed the greater part of his 
life in the district of Tennessee which Colonel 
Crockett represented in Congress, has known him, 
and heard him make stump speeches, and is familiar 
with many of his comrades, and his descendants 
now living. In the preparation of the article, all 
known authorities were consulted. It is true that 
in the work called ''Texas and Texans," written 



264 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

and published in 1841, by Hon. Henry S. Foote, 
the author rehes upon a newspaper article to con- 
tradict the theory of the surrender. Edwards, also, 
in his " History of Texas," evidently copying from 
Foote, asserts that there was no surrender. 

Other authorities, and the tradition sustained by 
the survivors, go to prove to the contrary. The 
weight of authorities show, I think, that when the 
combined attack on the fort was made by the Mex- 
icans on the morning of the 6th of March with 
4,000 men — infantry and artillery — in which they 
were twice repulsed with heavy loss, that they at 
last succeeded in entering the fort, and after some 
desperate hand-to-hand fighting with the clubs of 
guns and bowie-knives, but six of the garrison re- 
mained alive. Being surrounded on all sides by 
overpowering numbers, and unable to load their 
guns, that they surrendered to General Castrillon 
under a solemn promise that they would be treated 
as prisoners of war. Santa Anna, however, ordered 
them put to death. This was evidently what the 
victorious army at San Jacinto believed of the 
affair of the Alamo, for their war-cry in that mem- 
orable battle was, " Remember the Alamo ! " 

Captain Potter's comments on the statement 
*' that there were around Crockett a complete bar- 
rier of about twenty Mexicans lying pell-mell, dead 
and dying," is, to say the least of it, disingenuous. 
The claim is not made that Crockett slew or 
wounded all of these men, or that it was done in a 
" minute." On the entrance of the Mexicans into 
the fort, the six survivors fought with their knives 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 265 

and the butts of their guns in a body, and it is not 
only not unlikely that they wounded and killed 
about twenty of the enemy, but it is probable that 
the nunaber was far greater than stated. There is 
no evidence in any authentic account of this mem- 
orable engagement that there was any " group of 
skulkers " in the garrison, as stated by Captain 
Potter. It is told, but on somewhat doubtful 
authority, that one of the garrison, named Warner, 
asked for quarter, which was denied him. 

There were, according to the best authorities, 
four persons who escaped : Mrs. Dickinson, wife of 
Lieutenant Dickinson, who fell fighting in the fort, 
her child, and two negro servants — one the servant 
of Colonel Travis, and the other of Colonel Bowie. 
It has been stated also that two Mexican women 
of Bexar escaped from the fort on the morning of 
the 6th of March. One of the known survivors, 
Mrs. Hanning, is now living in Austin, Texas. She 
was at the time of the siege of the Alamo about 
eighteen years old. During the siege she received 
a wound from a bullet which pierced one of her 
legs. Marcus J. Wright. 



2^^ LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Conclusion. 

Thus died Colonel David Crockett, and the one 
hundred and eighty-two immortal defenders of the 
Alamo, whose name recalls one of the most 
thrilling episodes of the world's history. But as is 
often the case, the blood of the martyrs proved the 
seed that bore the independence of Texas as its 
fruit. 

After the capture of San Antonio, Santa Anna 
made a feint on Gonzales, where General Sam 
Houston lay with an inferior force. Houston at 
once fell back to the Colorado, believing the whole 
Mexican army was on the point of attacking him. 
A similar feint was made on Bastrop, a town on 
the Colorado, northeast of San Antonio. 

This done Santa Anna marched directly for 
GoHad, which is something less than a hundred 
miles southeast of San Antonio, on the Colorado. 
The fort there was very strong and was defended 
by Colonel Fanning with a small force of vol- 
unteers. About the middle of March, General 
Houston ordered Fanning to evacuate and blow up 
the fort and join him on the Colorado. With 260 
men and several field-pieces, Fanning set out across 
the country to unite with his commander-in-chief. 

At the close of the first day, the Mexicans ap- 
peared in the rear and Colonel Fanning halted and 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 26/ 

opened fire, with his artillery, instead of hastening 
forward and availing himself of the shelter of the 
wood a short distance in advance. A fierce fight 
was maintained for hours, but the Texans re- 
pulsed the Mexicans, losing themselves only seven 
men while the Mexicans admitted a loss nearly two 
hundred. 

Colonel Fanning, finding he was not only cut off 
from the shelter of the wood, but that the enemy 
had interposed between him and his advanced 
guard, spent the night in throwing up intrench- 
ments. 

At daylight the Texans saw that the Mexicans 
were receiving large re-enforcements, and there 
was no more hope of success in contending against 
the overwhelming forces than the garrison of the 
Alamo had in fighting the Mexican army. 

At this opportune moment, Santa Anna sent 
forward a white flag demanding the surrender of 
Colonel Fanning, promising in the most solemn 
manner that they should retain all their private 
property ; that they might return by the first op- 
portunity as prisoners of war to the United States, 
or remain until they were regularly exchanged; 
and that they should be treated in a humane 
manner while in confinement. 

Under these assurances, Colonel Fanning and 
his men surrendered. The Mexicans, succeeded in 
capturing a number of stragglers until they had 
about four hundred prisoners, who were confined 
for several days in an old church within the fort at 
Goliad. They were finally marched out, and con- 



268 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 

ducted along a high brush fence, some distance 
away, where the Mexicans opened fire upon and 
shot them down as though they were dogs. Nearly 
all fell dead or mortally wounded at the first fire, 
but a few escaped by dropping at the instant of 
the flash, and these instantly sprang to their feet 
and made off to the woods. 

The Mexicans having emptied their guns, bay- 
oneted all who showed any signs of life. The 
authorities of Texas gathered the blackened re- 
mains on the 4th of June following, and bestowed 
solemn obsequies upon them. 

About the middle of April, Santa Anna marched 
one division of his army in the direction of Lynch's 
Ferry on the San Jacinto, burning Harrisburg as 
he passed through it. On the 2ist they were re- 
enforced by General Cos who thus broke his parole 
with five hundred of their best troops. This in- 
creased their effective force to 1500 men, while that 
of the Texans is given as 783. 

The Texan army was tired of retreating, and eager 
for the battle to open. The disparity in numbers 
intensified their courage and a few fiery words 
from Houston rendered them almost irrestrainable. 

Having perfected their arrangements, and mak- 
ing sure the enemy were scattered and unprepared, 
the Texans made their attack upon the '' Greasers," 
cheering each other on by the war-cry, *' Remem- 
ber the Alamo ! " 

So fierce was the assault that in less than twenty 
minutes the Mexicans were utterly routed. The 
patriots not having bayonets, clubbed their rifles. 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 269 

and scores were splintered in crushing the skulls 
of the panic-stricken Mexicans. 

The Bowie knife -did frightful execution at San 
Jacinto. It is said on good authority, that the 
Texans soon turned the fight into a wild amusement, 
feeling that they were in little personal danger. 

The simple results tell the story of the indescrib- 
able scene. The Texans had two killed and twenty- 
three wounded, six of whom died. The enemy 
had 630 killed and 730 were taken prisoners. 
Among the plunder captured were 600 muskets, 
300 sabres, several hundred horses and mules, and 
over a thousand dollars in specie. 

Among the wounded Texans was J. H. Green, to 
whom we have already alluded. He received a 
bad bayonet thrust and was struck by a glancing 
ball in the forehead, which passed around and im- 
bedded itsel-f in his neck. 

He lay in the tent of Sam Houston, at dusk, 
suffering much from his hurts. Houston himself 
was sound asleep, his slumber being profound, from 
something besides natural causes. His negro 
servant was also asleep, when a couple of the 
guards brought in a prisoner whom they had found 
in a swamp, and who begged so piteously for his 
life that they could not refuse his prayer. As he 
kept continually asking for General Houston, he 
was taken to his tent. 

Houston with difficulty was aroused, but he pre- 
ferred to sleep, and, turning upon his side with an 
impatient exclamation, did not stir until the next 
morning. 



2/0 LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. ^ 

All the night through, the prisoner, pale and 
and trembling, sat in the tent, refusing to eat a 
mouthful or even to touch a drop of water. He 
seemed to be in mortal dread of losing his life. 

When Houston awoke at sunrise, the frightened 
prisoner addressed him in Spanish and then Italian, 
announcing that he was Santa Anna and begging 
to be protected from the fury of the soldiers. 

Houston at once ordered Santa Anna's sword to 
be returned to him; but he had none on when 
taken, so the order could not be obeyed. 

General Cos was also among the captured, and 
he too was in mortal terror lest he should be made 
to suffer the just penalty of violating his parole; 
but General Almonte, another captive, was as brave 
and cool as he had been all through the battle. 

Santa Anna offered to acknowledge the inde- 
pendence of and to evacuate Texas, on condition 
that his life should be spared. The terms were 
accepted, as a matter of course. He was held a 
prisoner until the succeeding year, although Mexico 
repudiated his treaty with the insurgent Texans. 

But the battle of San Jacinto secured the inde- 
pendence of Texas. It became an independent 
republic, acknowledged as such by the United 
States in 1837, and in 1840, by England, France 
and Belgium. It was admitted into the Union in 
December, 1845, but Mexico, which had never re- 
cognized its independence, invaded the territory, 
and the Mexican war was the result. 

To day Texas is one of the most brilliant stars 
in the grand constellation of the Union. With 



LIFE OF COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT. 2/1 

an area of more than a quarter of a million 
square miles, with an unlimited variety of soil, 
climate and productions, with a capacity for growth 
and prosperity beyond calculation, with a steady 
stream of immigration converging from all parts 
of the world, with her vast prairies, her rivers, her 
streams, her enterprise, her history, her sacred 
memories and her teeming future, Texas is indeed 
the Corning Empire, 



Standard and Popular Books 

PUBLISHED BY 

Porter & Koites, PsiLiDELPHii, Pa. 



WAVERLEY NOVELS. By Sie Walter Scott 

*Waverley. 

*Guy Mannering. 

The Antiquary. 

Rob Rov. 

Black Dwarf; and Old Mortality, 

The Heart of Mid-Lothiaa. 

The Bride of Lararaermoor; and A 

Legend of Moatrose. 
*T van hoe. 
The Monastery. 
The Abbott. 
Keuiiworth. 
The Pirate. 



The Fortunes of Nigel. 

Peveril of the Peak. 

Quentiu Durward. 

St. Rouan's Well. 

Eedgauntlet. 

The Betrothed ; and The Talisman. 

Woodstock. 

The Fair Maid of Perth. 

Anue of Geierstein. 

Count Robert of Paris; and Castle 

Dangerous. 
Chronicles of the Canongate. 



Household Edition. 23 vols. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, 
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Universe Edition. 25 vols. Printed on thin paper, and con^ 
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and gold, per vol., 75 cts. 

World Edition. 12 vols. Thick 12mo. (Sold in sets only.) 
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This is the best edition for the library or for general use published Its 
convenient size the extreme legibility of the type, which is larser'than 
IS used m any other 12mo edition, either English or American. 

TALES OF A GRANDFATHER. By Sir Walter Scott, Bart. 
4 vols. Uniform with the Waverlev Xovels 
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i.Ju^^ edition contains the Fourth Series-Tales from French history— and 
IS the only complete edition published in this country. 

(1) 



PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 



CHAELES DICKENS' COMPLETE WORKS. Author's Edition. 
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Christinas Books, Uncomraercial 



Traveller, and Additional 
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Bleak House. 

Little Dor fit. 

Tale oC Two Cities, and Great Ex- 
pectations. 

Our Mutual Friend. 

Edwin Drood, Sketches, Master 
Humphrey's Clock, etc., etc. 



*Piekwick Papers. 

*01iver Twist, Pictures of Italy, and 

A Qi eric an Notes. 
*Nieholas Nickleby. 
Old Curiosity Shop, and Reprinted 

Pieces. 
Baruaby Radge, and Hard Times. 
*Martiu Chuzzlewit. 
Doiubey and Son. 
*David Copperfield. 

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CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. By Chaeles Dickens. 
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"Dickens as a noveHst and prose poet is to be classed in the front rank of 
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sniith; but at the same time has given to his material an individual coloring 
and expression peculiarly his own. His characters, like those of his great 
exemplars, constitute a world of their own, whose truth to nature every 
reader instinctively recognizes in connection with their truth to daikness." 
—E. P. Whipple. 

MACATJLAY'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. From the accession 
of James II. By Thomas Babington Macaulay. Wilh a 
steel portrait of' the author. Printed from new electrotype 
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Popular Edition. 5 vols., cloth, plain, $5.00. 

8vo. Edition. 5 volumes in one, with portrait. Cloth, extra, 
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MARTINEAU'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. From the beginning 
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HUME'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND. From the invasion of 
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Popular Edition. 5 vols. Cloth, plain, $5.00. 

GIBBON'S DECLINE AND FALL OF THE EOMAN EMPIKE. 
By Edward Gibbon. With Notes, by Rev. H. H. Milman. 
Standard Edition. To which is added a complete Index of 
the work. A new edition from entirely new stereotype plates. 
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Popular Edition. 5 vols. Cloth, plain, $5,00. 

ENGLAND, PICTURESQUE AND DESCRIPTIVE. By Joel 
Cook, author of "A Holiday Tour in Europe/' etc. With 487 
finely engraved illustrations, descriptive of the most famous 
and attractive places, as well as of the historic scenes and 
rural life of England and Wales. With Mr. Cook's admirable 
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lustrations, this is the most valuable and attractive book of the 
season, and the sale will doubtless be very large. 4to. Cloth, 
extra, gilt side and edges, $7.50; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, 
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This work, which is prepared ni elesant style, and profusely illustratpd, 
is a comprehensive description of EagJaud and Wales, arranared in conve- 
nient foiin for the tourist, and at ihe same time providing an illustrated 
gu de-book to a country which Americans always view with interest. There 
are few saiisfai'tory works ab uit this land wliioh is so generously gifted hy 
Nature and so full of memorials of the past. Such books as there are, either 
cover a few ».)untie3 ur are devoted to special localities, or are merely trnidi^- 
books. The present work is believed to be the first attempt to give in attrac- 
tive form a description of the stately homes, renowned castles, ivy-clad ruins 
of abbeys, churches, and ancient fortresses, delir-ions scenery, rock-bound 
coasts, aMd celebritel places of England and Wales. It is written by an 
author fully competent from travel and readins, and in position to prop-^rly 
describe his very interesting subject; and the artist's pencil has been call fi 
into requisition to graphically illustrate its well-wriiten paijes. There are 
487 illustrations, prepaod in the highest style of the cngravi-r's art, while 
the book itself is one of the most attractive ever presented to the Araericaa 
pulilic. 

Its method of construction is systematic, following the most convenient 
ro ites t:*ken hy tourists, and the letter-press includes enough of the history 
and I gend of each of the places described to make the story highly inter- 
esting. Its pages fairly overflow with picture and description, telling' of 
everything attractive that is pres^^nted by England and Wale<. l^xecuted 
in the highest style of the printer's and engraver's art, "England, Pictur- 
esque and Descriptive, ' is one of the best Americau books of the year. 



PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA. By the Comte 
De Paris. With Maps faithfully Engraved from the Origin- 
als, and Printed in Three Colors. 8vo. Cloth, per volume, 
$3.50; red cloth, extra, Roxburgh style, uncut edges, $3.50; 
sheep, library style, $4.50; half Turkey morocco, $6.00. Vols. 
I, II, and III now ready. 

The third vohirae embraces, without abridgment, the fifth and sixth 
vobimes of the French edition, and covers one of the most interestintr as 
well as the most anxious periods of the war, describing the operations of tlie 
Army of the Potomac iu the East, and the Army of the Cumberland and 
Tennessee in i he West. 

It Contains full accounts of the battle of Chancellorsvilip, the attack of the 
monitors on Fort Sumter, the sieges and fall of Vicksbuig and Port Hudson; 
the battles of Port Gibson and Champion's Hill, and the fullest and most 
authentic account of the battle ol Gettysburg ever written. 

"The head of the Orleans family has put pen to paper with excellent 

result Our present impression is tiiat it will lorm by far the best 

history of the American war." — Athenceum, London. 

"We advise all Americans to read it carefully, and judge for themselves 
if ' the future historian of our war,' of whom we have heard so much, be not 
already arrived in the Comte de Furis."— Nation, New York. 

"This is incomparably the best account of our great second revolution 
that has yet been even attempted. It is so calm, so dispassionate, so accurate 
in detail, and at the same time so philosophical in general, that its reader 
counts confidently .on finding the complete work thoroughly satisfactory."— 
Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia, 

"The work expresses the calm, deliberate judgment of an experienced 
military observer and a highly intelligent man. Many of its statements 
will excite discussion, but we much mistake if it does not take high and 
permanent ranic among the standard histories of the civil war. Indetd 
that place has been assigned it by the most competent critics both of this 
country and abroad." — Ihrnes, Cincinnati. 

"Messrs. Porter & Coates, of Philadelphia, will publish in a few days the 
authorized translation of the new volume of the Comte de Paris' History of 
Our Civil War. The two volumes in French — the fifth and sixth — are bound 
together in the translation in one volume. Our readers already know, 
through a table of contents of these volumes, published in the cable columns 
of the Herald, the period covered by this new installment of a work remark- 
able in several ways. It includes the most important and decisive period of 
the war, and the two great campaigns of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. 

"The great civil war has had no better, no aliler historian than the French 
prince who, emulating the example of Lafayette, took part in tiiis new 
struggle for freedom, and who now writes of events, in many of which he 
participated, as an accomplished officer, and one who, by his independent 
jiosilion, his high character and eminent talents, was placed in circum- 
stances and relations which gave him almost unequalled opportunities to 
gain correct information and form iinpaitial judgments. 

"The new installment of a work which has already become a classic will 
be read with increased interest by Americans i)ecause of the importance of 
the period it covers and the stirring events it descril)es. In advance of a 
careful review we present to-day some extracts from the advance sheets sent 
us by Messrs. Porter & Coates, which will give our readers a foretaste of 
chapters which bring back to memory so many half-forgotten and not a few 
hitherto unvalued details of a time which Americans of this generation at 
least cannot read of without a fresh thrill of excitement." 



PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 



HALF-HOUKS WITH THE BEST AUTHORS. With short Bi- 
ographical and Critical Notes. By Charles Knight. 

New Household Editiou. With six portraits on steel. 3 vols., 
thick 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, per set, $i.50; half imt! 
Russia, marbled edges, $6,00; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, $12.00.' 

Library Edition. Printed on fine laid and tinted paper. With 
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set, $7.50; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, per set, $18.00; half Rus- 
sia, gilt top, $21.00; full French morocco, limp, per set, $12.00; 
full smooth Russia, -limp, round corners, in Russia case, per set, 
$25.00; full seal grained Russia, limp, round coi'uers, in Russia 
case to match, $25.00. 

The excellent idea of the editor of these choice voliiraes has been most 
admirably carried out, as will be seen by the list of authors upon all sub- 
jects. S'l'Cting some choice passages of the best standard authors, each of suffi- 
cient lena;tb to occupy half an hour in its perusal, there is here food for 
thought for every day in the year: so that if tlie purchaser will devote but 
one-half hour each day to its appropriate selection he will read through 
these six volum-s in one year, and in such a leisurely manner that the 
noblest thoughts of many of the greatest minds will be firmly in his mind 
forever. For every Sund.iy there is a suitable swlection from some of the 
most eminent writers in sacred literature. We venture to say if the editor's 
idea is carried out the reader will possess more and b -tter knowledge of the 
English classics at the end of the year than he would by five years of desul- 
tory reading. 

They can be commenced at any day in the vear. The variety of reading 
is so great that no one will ever tire of the"se volumes. It is a library in 
itself. 

THE POETRY OF OTHER LANDS. A Collection of Transla- 
tions into English Verse of the Poetry of Other Languages, 
Ancient and Modern. Compiled by N. Clemmons Hunt. 
Containing translations from tlie Greek, Latin, Persian, Ara- 
bian, Japanese, Turkish, Servian, Russian, Bohemian, Polish, 
Dutch, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portu'^uese 
languages. 12mo. Cloth, extra, gilt edges, $2.50 ; half calf, gilt, 
marbled edges, $4.00; Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $8.00. 
" Another of the publications of Porter & Coates, called 'The Poetry of 
Other Lands, compiled by N. Cleramons Hunt, we most warmly commend 
It IS one of the bast collections we have seen, containing many exqui-^ite 
poems and fragments of versa which have not before been put into book 
form in English words. We find many of the old favorites, which appear 
in every well-selected collection of sonnets and songs, and we miss others 
which seem a necessity to complete the bouquet of grasses and flowers 
some of which, from time to time, we hope to republish in the ' Courier '"— 
Cincinnati Courier, 

"A book of rare excellence, because it gives a collection of choice gems in 
many languages not available to the general lover of poetry. It contains 
translations from the Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabian, .Japanese, Turkish 
Servian, Russian, Bohemian, Polish, Dutch, German, Italian French' 
Spanish, and Portuguese languages. The book will be an admirable com- 
panion volume to any one of the collections of English poetry that are now 
published. With the full index of authors immediately preceding the col- 
lection, and the arrangement of the poems under headings, the reader will 
tind It convenient for reference. It. is a gift that will be more valued by 
very many than some of the transitory ones at these holiday times."— 
Philadelphia Methodist. 



PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 



THE FIRESIDE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF POETRY. Edited by 
Henry T. Coates. This is the latest, and beyond doubt the 
best collection of poetry published. Printed on fine paper and 
illustrated with thirteen steel engravings and fifteen title 
pages, containing portraits of prominent American poets and 
fac-similes of their handwriting, made expressly for this book. 
8vo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, gilt edges, $5.00;' half calf, 
gilt, marbled edges, $7.50 ; half morocco, full gilt edges, $7.50 ; 
full Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $10.00; tree calf, gilt edges, 
$12.00; plush, padded side, nickel lettering, $14.00. 

"The editor shows a Tvide acquaintance with the most precious treasures 
of English verse, and lias gathered the mo.st adniirahlf spt oiniens of their 
ample wealth. Many pieces which have been passed by in previous collec- 
tioiis hold a place of honor in the present volume, and will he heartily wel- 
comed by the lovers of poetry as a delightful addition to their sources of 
enjoyment. It is a volum'i rich in solace, in entertainment, in inspiration, 
of wiiich the possession nny well b^ coveted by every lover of poetry. The 
pictorial illustiations of the work are in keeping with its poetical contents, 
and the beauty of the typotrraphical execution fntitlos it to a jjlace among 
the choicest ornaments of the library." — New York Trihvve. 

"Lovers of good poetry will find this one of the richest colleci ions ever 
made. All the best singers in our lancruage are r presented, and the selec- 
tions are generally those which ri-veal tlicir hi<ihest qualities The 

lights and shades, the finer play of thought and imagination belonging to 
individual authurs, are brought out. in this way (by the arrangen)ent of 
poems under subject-headinus) as they would not be under any other sys- 
tem We are deeply impressed witlT the kei-n appreciation of poetical 

worth, and also with the gojd taste manifested by the compiler."— C^i/rcA- 
vian. 

"Cvclopsedins of poetry are numerous, but for sterling value of its contents 
for the library, or as a book of reference, no work of the kind will compare 
with this adrairablq volume of Mr. Coates It takes the gems from many 
Volumes, culling with rare skill and judgment." — Chicago Inter- Ocean. 

THE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF POETRY. Compiled by Henry 
T. Coates. Containing over 500 poems carefully selected 
from the works of the best and most popular writers for chil- 
dren ; with nearly 200 illustrations. The most complete col- 
lection of poetiy for children ever published. 4to. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, gilt side and edges, $3.00; full Turkey 
morocco, gilt edges, $7.50. 
"This s-^ems to ns the best book of poetry for cbildren in existence. "We 
have examined many other collections, but we cannot n>ime another that 
deserves to be compared with this admirable compilation."— IFwrceAter Spy. 
"The special value of tbn book lies in the fact that it nearly or quite 
covers the entire field. There is not a great deal of good poetry which has 
been written for children that cannot be found in this book. The collection 
is particularly .«trong in ballads and t^Ies, which are apt to interest children 
more than po^ms of other kinds; and Mr. Coates has shown good judgment 
in supplementing this department with some of the best poems of that class 
that have been written for trrown people. A surer method of forming the 
taste of children for good and pure literature than by readine to them from 
any portion of this book can hardly be imagined. The volume is richly 
illiistrated and beautifully bound." — PhUadeli>hia Evening Bulletin. 

"A more excellent volume cannot be found. We have found within the 
covers of ibis handsome volume, and upon its fair pages, many of the most 
exquisite poems which our language contains. It must become a standard 
volume, and can never grow old or obsolete." — Episcopal Recorder, 



PUBLICATIONS. 



THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THOS. HOOD. With engraving^s 

ou steel. 4 vols., 12iuo., tinted paper. Poetical Works ; Up 

the Rhine; Miscellanies and Hood's Own; Wliimsicalities, 

Wliinis^ and Oddities. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $6.00; 

red cloth, paper label, gilt top, uncut edges, $6.00; half calf, 

gilt, marbled edges, $14.00; half Russia, gilt top, $18.00. 

Hood's verse, whether serious or comic— whether serene like a cloudless 

autumn evening or sparkling with puns like a frosty January midnight 

with stars— was ever pregnant with materials for the thought. Like every 

author distinguished lor true comic humor, there was a det<p vein of mclan- 

oholy )>athos running through his mirth, and even when his sun shone 

brightly its light seemed often reflected as if only over the rim of a cloud. 

Well may we say, in the words of Tennyson, "Would he could have 
stayed with us." for never could it be more truly recorded of any one— in 
the words of Hamlet characterizing Yorick— that "he was a Mlow of in- 
finite jest, of most excellent fancy." !>■ M. MoiR. 
THE ILIAD OF HOMER RENDERED INTO ENGLISH 
BLANK VERSE. By Edward, Eael of Derby. Fvcjh 
the latest London edition, witb all the author's last revisions 
and corrections, and with a Biograpliical Sketch of Lord 
Derby, by R. Shelton Mackenzie, D.C.L. With twelve 
steerengravings from Flaxman's celebrated designs. 2 vols., 
12mo. Cloth, extra, bev. boards, gilt top, $3.50; half calf, gilt, 
marbled edges, $7.00 ; half Turkey morocco, gilt top, $7.00. 
The same. Popular edition. Two vols, iu one. r2mo. Cloth, 
extra, $1 50. 

" It must equally ho considered a splendid performance; and for the pres- 
ent we have no h»-sitation in saying ihat it is by far the best representation 
of Homer's Iliad in the English laiiguage."— i/07utoi Times. 

"The merits of Lord Derby's translation may be summed up in one word, 
it is emiiientlv attractive; it is instinct with life ; it may be read with fervent 
interest; it is immeasurably nearer than Pope to the text of the original . 
. . . Lord Derby has given a ver.^iou )ar more closely allied to the original, 
and superior to any that has yet been attempted in the blank verse of our 
language." — Ediiibing Review. 

THE WORKS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. Comprising the Anti- 
quities of the Jews; a History of the Jewish Wars, and a Life 
of Flavins Joseph us, written by himself. Translated from the 
original Greek, by William WiiiSTON,»A.M. Together with 
numerous explanatory Notes and seven Dissertations concern- 
ing Jesus Christ, John tlie Baptist, James the Just, God's com- 
mand to Abraham, etc., with an Introductory Essay by Rev. 
H. Stebbing, D.D. 8vo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, plain 
edges, $3.00; cloth, red, black and gold, gilt edges, $4.50; sheep, 
marbled edges, $3.50; Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $8.00. 
This is the largest type one volume edition published, 

THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIANS, CARTHA- 
GINIANS, ASSYRIANS, BABYLONIANS, MEDES AND 
PERSIANS, GRECIANS AND MACEDONIANS. Including 
a History of the Arts and Sciences of the Ancients. By 
Charles Rollin. With a Life of the Author, by James 
Bell. 2 vols., royal Svo, Sheep, marbled edges, per set, $6,00. 



PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 



COOKERY FEOM EXPEEIENCE. A Practical Guide for House- 
keepers iu the Preparation of Every -day Meals, containing 
more than One Thousand Domestic Eecipes, mostly tested by 
Personal Experience, with Suggestions for Meals, Lists of 
Meats and Vegetables in Season, etc. By Mrs. Saka T. Paul. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 
Interleaved Edition. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.75. 

THE COMPARATIVE EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
Both Versions in One Book. 

The proof readings of our Comparative Edition have been gone 
over by so many competent proof readers^ that we believe the text 
is al)solutely correct. 

Large 12mo., 700 pp. Cloth, extra, plain edges, $1.50; cloth, 
extra, bevelled boards and carmine edges, $1.75; imitation panelled 
calf, yellow edges, $2.00; arabesque, gilt edges, $2.50; French mo- 
rocco, limp, gilt edges, $4.00; Turkey morocco, limp, gilt edges, 
$6.00. 

The Comparative New Testament has been published by Porter & Coates. 
In parallel cohimns on each page are given the old and new versions of the 
Testament, divided also as far as practicable into comparative verses, so that 
it is almost impossible for the slightest new word to escape the notice of 
either the ordinary reader or the analytical student. It is decidt^dly the 
best edition yet published of the most interest-exciting literary prodLicti(jn 
of the day. No more convenient foim for comparison could be devised 
either for economizing time or labor. Another feature is the foot-notes, 
and there is also given iu an appendix the various words and expressions 
preferred by the American members of the Revising Commission. The 
work is handsomely printed on excellent paper with clear, legible type. It 
contains nearly 700 



THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. By Alexandee Dumas. 
Complete in one volume, with two illustrations by George G. 
White. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

THE THREE GUARDSMEN. By Alexandee Dumas. Com- 
plete in one volume, with two illustrations by George G. 
White. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 
There is a magic influence in his pen, a magnetic attraction in his descrip- 
tions, a fertility in his literary resources which are characteristic of Dumas 
alone, and the seal of thv master of light literature is set upon all his works. 
Even when not strictly historical, his romances give an insight into the 
habits and modes of thought and action of the people of the time described, 
which are not offered in any other author's productions. 

THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII. By Sir Edwaed Bulwee 
Lytton, Bart. Illustrated. 12mG. Cloth, extra, black and 
gold, $1,00. Alta edition, one illustration, 75 cts. 

JANE EYRE. By Chaelotte Beonte (Currer Bell). New Li- 
brary Edition. With five illustrations by E. M. Wimpeeis. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.00. 

SHIRLEY. By Chaelotte Beonte (Currer Bell). New Library 
Edition. With five illustrations by E. M. Wimpeeis. 12mo. 
Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1,00. 



PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 9 

VILLETTE. By Charlotte BROXTE(CurTer Bell). New Library 
Edition. With five illustrations by E. M. Wimperis. r2mo. 
Clotb, extra, black and gold, $1.00. 

THE PROFESSOE, EMMA and POEMS. By Charlotte Broxte 
(Currer Bell). New Library Edition. With five illustrations 
by E. M. Wimperis. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, §1.00. 

Cloth, extra, black and gold, per set, ^.00; red cloth, paper 
label, gilt top, uncut edges, per set, §5.00 ; half calf, gilt, per set, 
$12.00. The four volumes forming the complete works of Char- 
lotte Bronte (Currer Bell). 

The wondrous power of Cnrrer Bell's stories consists in their fiery insight 
into the human heart, their merciless dissection of passion, and tht-ir stern 
analysis of character and motive. Tlie style of these productions possesses 
incredihle forc;^ sometimes almost grim in its bare seventy, then relapsing 
into passages of melting pathos-always direct, natural, and effective in us 
unpretending strength. They exhibit the identity which always belongs to 
works of genius by the same author, though without the slightest approach 
to monotony. The characters portrayed by Currer Bell all have a strongly 
marked individuality. Once brought before the imagination, they haunt 
tne memory like a strange dream. The sinewy, muscular strength of her 
writings guarantees their permanent duration, and thus far they have lost 
nothing of their intensity of interest since the period of their composition. 

CAPTAIN JACK THE SCOUT; or, The Indian Wars about Old 
Fort Duquesne. An Historical Novel, with copious notes. 
By Charles McKnight. Illustrated with eight engravings., 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 
A work of such rare merit and thrilling interest as to have been repub- 
lished both in England and Germany. This genuine American historical 
woik has been received with extraordinary popular favor, and has "won 
golden opinions from all sorts of people" for its freshness, its forest life, and 
its fidelity to truth. In many instances it even corrects History and uses 
the drapery of fic^tion simply to enliven and illustrate the fact. 

It is a universal favorite with both sexes, and with ail ages and condi- ' 
tions, and is not only proving a marked and notable success in this country, 
but has been eagerly taken up abroad and republished in London, England, 
and issued iu two volumes in the far-famed "Tauchuelz Edition " of Leipsic, 
Germany. 

OEANGE BLOSSOMS, FRESH AND FADED. By T. S. Arthur. 
Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 
"Orange Blossoms" contains a number of short stories of society. Like 
all of Mr. Arthur's works, it has a special moral purpose, and is especially 
addressed to the young who have just entered the marital experience, whom 
it pleasantly warns against those social and moral pitfalls into which they 
may almost innocently plunge. 

THE BAR ROOMS AT BRANTLEY; or. The Great Hotel Spec- 
ulation. By T. S. Arthur. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, 
black and gold, $1.50. 

" One of the best temperance stories recently issued."— A''. Y. Commercial 
Advertiser. 

"Although it is in the form of a novel, its truthful delineation of charac- 
ters is such that in every village in the land you meet the broken manhood 
it pictures upon the streets, and look upon sad, tear-dimmed eyes of women 
and children. The characters are not overdrawn, but are as truthful as an 
artist's pencil could make them." — Inter-Ocean, Chicago. 



lO PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 



EMMA. By Jane Austen. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, 
$1.25. 

MANSFIELD PARK. By Jane Austen. Illustrated. 12mo. 
Cloth, extra, $1.25. 

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE; and Northanger Abbey. By Jane 
Austen. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, $1.25. 

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY; and Persuasion. By Jane Austen. 
Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, $1.25. 

The four volumes, forming the complete works of Jane Austen, 
in a neat box: Cloth, extra, per set, $5.00 ; red cloth, paper label, 
gilt top, uncut edges, $5.00; half calf, gilt, per set, $12.00. 

"Jane Austen, a woman of whom England is justly proud. In her novels 
sh«! lias given us a multitude of characters, all, in a certain sense, common- 
place, all such as we meet, every day. Yet they are all as perfectly discrimi- 
nated from each other as if they were the most eccentric of human heinps. 
.... And almost all this is done by touchi-s so delicate that they elude 
analysis, that they defy the powers of d 'scription, and that we know them 
to exist only by the general effect to which they have contributed."— 3/a- 
caulay's Essays. 

ART AT HOME. Containing in one volume House Decoration, 
by Rhoda and Agnes Garrett; Plea for Art in the House, 
by W. J. LoFTiE ; Music, by John Hullah ; and Dress, by 
Mrs. Oliphant. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 

TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS AT RUGBY. By Thomas 
Hughes. New Edition, large clej^r type. With 36 illustra- 
tions after Caldecott and others. 12nio., 400 pp. Cloth, extra, 
black and gold, $1.25; half calf, gilt, $2.75. 
Alta Edition. One illustration, 75 cents. 

"It is difficult to estimate the amount of good which may be done by 
'Tom Brown's School l>ays.' It gives, in the main, a most faithful and 
intt-resting picture of our public schools, the most English institutions of 
England, and which educate the hest and most powerful elements in our 
upper classes. But it is more than tb.is; it is an attempt, a very noble and 
successful attempt, to Christianize the society of our youth, through the 
only practicable channel— hearty and brotherly sympathy with their feel- 
ings; a hook, in short, which a father might well wish to see in the Lands 
of his son." — London Timen. 

TOM BROWN AT OXFORD. By Thomas Hughes. Illustrated. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50 ; half calf, gilt, $3.00. 

"Fairlv entitled to the rank and dignity of an English classic. Plot, style 
and truthfulness are of the soundest British character. Racy, idiomatic, 
mirror-like, always interesting, suggesting thought on the knottiest social 
and religious questions, now deeply moving by its unconscious pathos, and 
anon inspiring uproarious laughter, it is a work the world will not willingly 
let die." — N. Y. Christian Advocate. 



PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 11 

SENSIBLE ETIQUETTE OF THE BEST SOCIETY. By Mrs. 
H, O. Ward. Customs, manners, morals, and home culture, 
with suggestions how to word notes and letters of invitations, 
acceptances, and regrets, and general instructions as to calls, 
rules for watering places, lunches, kettle drums, dinners, re- 
ceptions, weddings, parties, dress, toilet and manners, saluta- 
tions, introductions, social reforms, etc., etc. Bound in cloth, 
with gilt edge, and scut by mail, postage paid, on receipt of 
$2.00. 

LADIES' AND GENTLEMEN'S ETIQUETTE: A Complete 
Manual of the Manners and Dress of American Society. Con- 
taining forms of Letters, Invitations, Acceptances, and Eegrets. 
With a copious index. By E. B. Duffey. 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $1.50. 

"It is peculiarly an American book, especially adapted to our people, and 
its greatest beauty is found in the fact that in every line and precept it in- 
culcates the prmciples of true politeness, instead of" those formal rules that 
serve only to gild the surface without affecting the substance. It is admir- 
ably written, the style being clear, terse, and lorcible."— ;&. Louis Times. 

THE UNDERGROUND CITY; or, The Child of the Cavern. 
By Jules Veene. Translated from the French by W. H. 
Kingston. With 43 illustrations. Standard Edition. 12mo. 
Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 

AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS. By Jules Veene. 
Translated by Geo. M. Towle. With 12 full-page illustrations. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

AT THE NORTH POLE ; or, The Voyages and Adventures of 
Captain Hatteras. By Jules Yeene. With 130 illustrations 
by Rrou. Standard Edition. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and 
gold, $1.25. 

THE DESERT OF ICE; or. The Further Adventures of Captain 
Hatteras. By Jules Veene. With 126 illustratioas by Riou. 
Standard Edition. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEAS; or, 
The Marvellous and Exciting Adventures of Pierre Aronnax, 
Conseil his servant.and Ned Land, a Canadian Harpooner. By 
Jules Veene. Standard Edition. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

THE WRECK OF THE CHANCELLOR, Diary of J. R. Kazallon, 
Passenger, and Marti ti Paz. By Jules Veene. Translated 
from tiie French by Ellen Feewee. With 10 illustrations. 
Standard Edition. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 
Jules Verne is so well known that the mere announcement of anythicg 
from his pen is -ufficient to create a demand for it. One of his chief merits 
is the wonderful art with which he lays under contribution every branch of 
science and natural history, while he vividly describes with minute exact- 
ness all parts of the world and its inhabitants. 



12 PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 

THE INGOLDSBY LEGENDS; or, Mirth and Marvels. By 
Richard Harris Barham (Thomas Ingoldsby, Esq.). New 
edition, printed from entirely new stereotype plates. Illus- 
trated. r2mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50; half calf, 
gilt, marbled edges, $3.00. 

"Of his poetical powers it is not too much to say that, for originality of 
design and diction, for grand illustration and musical verse, they are not 
surpassed in the English language. The Witches' Frolic is second only to 
Tarn O'Shanter. But why recapitulate the titles of either prose or verse- 
since they have been confessed l»y every judgment to be singularly rich in 
classic allusion and modern illustration. From the days of Hudibras to our 
time the drollery invested in rhymes has never been so amply or felicitously 
exemplified." — Bentley^s Miscellany. 

TEN THOUSAND A YEAR. By Samuel C. Warren, author of 
"The Diary of a London Physician." Anew edition, care- 
fully revised, with three illustrations by George G. White. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1 50. 
•'Mr. Warren has taken a lasting place among the imaginative writers of 
this period of English history. He ()0ssesses, in a remarkable manner, the 
tenderness of heart and vividness of feeling, as well as powers of description, 
which are essential to the delineation of the pathetic, and which, when 
existing in the degree in which he enjoys them, fill his pages with scenes 
■which can never be forgotten." — Sir Archibald Alison. 

THOMPSON'S POLITICAL ECONOMY; With Rspecial Refer- 
ence to the Industrial History of Nations. By Prof. R. E. 
Thompson, of the University of Pennsylvania. 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, $1.50. 
This book possesses an especial interest at the present moment. The 
questions of Free Trade and Protection are before the country more directly 
than at any earlier period of our history. As a rule the works and text- 
books used in our American colleges are either of English origin or teach 
Doctrines of a political economy which, as Walter Bagehot says, was made 
for England. Prof. Tliorapson belongs to the Nationalist School of Econo- 
mists, to which Alexander Hamilton, Tench Coxe, Henry Clay. Matthew 
Carey, and his greater son, Henry C. Carey, Stephen Col'well, and James 
Abram Garfield were adherents. He believes in that policy of Protection 
to American industry which has had the sanction of every great American 
statesman, not excepting Thomas Jetferson and John C. Calhoun. He makes 
his appeal to history in defence of that policy, showing that wherever a 
weaker or less advanced country has practiced Freo Trade with one more 
powerful or richer, the former has lost its industries as well as its money, 
and has become economically dependent on the latter. Those who wish 
to learn what is the real source of Irish poverty and discontent will find it 
here stated fully. 

The method of the book is historical. It is therefore no series of dry and 
abstract reasonings, such as repel readers from books of this cla^s. The 
•writer does not ride the a priori nag, and say " this must be so," and " that 
must bo conceded." He shows what has been true, and seeks to elicit the 
laws of the science from the experience of the world. The book overtlowa 
■with facts told in an interesting manuer. 

THE ENGLISH PEOPLE IN ITS THREE HOMES, and the 
Practical Bearings of general European History. By Edward 
A. Freeman, LL.D., Author of the " Norman Conquest of 
England." 12mo. Cloth, extra, $1.75. 



PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 13 

HANDY ANDY. A Tale of Irish Life. By Samuel Lover. New 
Library Edition, with two original illustrations by Geoege G. 
White. r2mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 
"Decidedly the best story of the day, full of frolic, genuine fun, and ex- 
quisite touches of Irish humor."— Dublin Monitor. 

CHARLES O'MALLEY, The Irish Dragoon. By Chaeles Lever. 
New Library Edition, with two original illustrations by F, O. 
C. Daeley. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

HAERY LORREQUER. By Chaeles Lever. New Library 
Edition, with two original illustrations by Geo. G. White. 
12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

"The intense spirit and frolic of the author's sketches have made him 
one of the most successful writers of the day." — London Literary Gazette. 

"The author is pre-eminent for his mirth-moving powers, tor his acute 
sense of the ridiculous, for the breadth of his iiumor, and his powers of 
dramatic writing which render his boldest conceptions with the happiest 
facilit y." — London Athenceum. 

"We hardly know how to convey an adequate notion of the exuberant 
•whim and drollery by which this writer is characterized. His works are a 
perpetual feast of g&yeiy."- John Bull, London. 

POPULAR NATURAL HISTORY. By the Rev. J. G. W^ood, 
M.A. From entirely new electrotype plates, with five hun- 
dred illustrations by eminent artists. Crown 8vo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $1.75. 
Mr. Wood is an amusing, instructive, and sensible writer— always doin? 

good work in a good way— and his work on Natural history is without 

doubt his masterpiece. 

THE ODES OF HORACE. Translated into English verse, with 
Life and Notes, by Theodoee Martix. With a fine portrait 
of Horace. 16nio. Cloth, extra, $1.00. 
Mr. Martin's translation has been commended as preserving— more than 

any other— the spirit and grace of the original. It is the most successful 

attempt ever made to render into English the inimitable odes of Horace. 

The memoir prefixed to the volume is a most chaiming piece of biography. 

GREEK MYTHOLOGY SYSTEMATIZED. With complete Tahles 
based on Hesiod's Theogony ; Tables showing the relation of 
Greek Mythology and History, arranged from Grote's History 
of Greece; and Gladstone's Homeric Tables. With a full 
Index. By S. A. Scull. Profusely illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, 
black and'gold, $1.50. 
"A book wbioh will prove very useful to the student and man of letters, 
and of incalculable benefit as a hand-hook."— Re ffublic, Washington. 

"A real want is supplied bv this book, whith is, in fact, aoyclopsedia of 
Gre.-k Mythology, so far as that is possible in a siugle volume of reasonable 
size and moderate cost." — Evening Mail, New York. 

"Thi'^ text-book on Mythology presents the subject in a more practical 
and more attractive style than any other work on the subject with which 
we are famiiiar, and we feel assured that it will at once take a leading posi- 
tion among books of its class." — The Teacher, Philadelphia. . 



14 PORTER & COATES PUBLICATIONS. 



THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas a Kempis. New 
and best editiou, from entirely new electrotype plates, single 
column, large, clear type. 18mo. 

Plain Edition, round corners. Cloth, extra, red edges, 50 cents; 
French morocco, gilt cross, 75 cents; limp Eussia, inlaid cross, red 
under gold edges, $2,00. 

Esd Line Edition, round corners. Cloth, blajck and gold, red 
edges, 75 cents; cloth, black and gold, gilt edges, $1.00; French 
morocco, red under gold edges, $1.50; limp Eussia, inlaid cross, red 
under gold edges, $2.50; limp Russia, solid gilt edges, box circuit, 
$3.00 ; limp calf, red under gold edges, $2.50 ; limp calf, solid gilt 
edges, box circuit, $3.00. 

THE WORDS AND MIND OF JESUS AND FAITHFUL PROM- 
ISEE. By Rev. J. R. Macduff, D.D., author of " Morning and 
Niglit Watches." New and best edition, from entirely new 
electrotype plates, single column, large, clear type. 18mo. 
Plain Edition, round corners. Cloth, extra, red edges, 50 cents; 

French morocco, gilt cross, 75 cents ; limp Russia, inlaid cross, red 

under gold edges, $2.00. 

Red Line Edition, round corners. Cloth, black and gold, red 

edges, 75 cents; cloth, black and gold, gilt edges, $1.00; limp calf 

or Russia, red under gold edges, $2.50. 

A DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE. Comprising its Antiquities, 
Biography, Geography, Natural History, and Literature. 
Edited by William Smith, LL.D. Revised and adapted to 
the present use of Sunday-school Teachers and Bible Students 
by Rev. F. N. and M. A. Peloubet. With eight colored maps 
and over 350 engravings on wood. 8vo. Cloth, extra, black 
and gold, $2.00; sheep, marbled edges, $3.00; half morocco, 
gilt top, $3 50. 
"No similar work in our own or in any other language is for a moment to 
be compared with Dr. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. The Christian and 
the scliolar have a treasure-house on every subjt^ct connected with the 
Bil>le, lull to oTerfl'iwing, and minute even to the telling of mint and cum- 
min." — London Quarterly Review. 

COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. Embra- 
cing accounts of the most eminent persons of all ages, nations, 
and professions. By E. A. Thomas. Crown Svo. Cloth, extra, 
gilt top, $2.50; sheep, marbled edges, $3.00; half morocco, gilt 
top, $3.50; half Russia, gilt top, $4.50. 
The aim of the publishers in issuing this work is to present in convenient 
size and at moderate price a comprehensive dicMonary of biography, em- 
bracing accounts of the most eminent personages in all .iges, countries, and 
professions. 

During thn last quarter of a century .so many important events havp been 
enacted, such as the Civil War in America and the Franco-Prussian War of 
1870, and such great advances have been mode in the line of invention and 
scientific investigation, that within that period many persons have ri-^en by 
superior merit to conspicuous positions; and as the pl;in of this work em- 
braces accounts of the living as well as of the dead, many names are in- 
cluded that are not to be found in other dictionaries of biography. 



PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 15 

THE HOESE IN THE STABLE AND THE FIELD. His Man- 
agement in Health and Disease. By J. H. Walsh, F.R.C.S. 
(Stonehenge.) From the last London edition. Illustrated 
with over 80 engravings, and full-page engravings from plioto- 
graphs. 12mo. Cloth, extra, Lev. boards, black and gold, $2.00. 
"It sustains its claim to be the only work which has brought together in 
a single volume, and in clear, concise, and comprehensive language, adequate 
information on the various subjects ou which it treats."— i/u/per's Magazine. 
"This is the best English hook on the horse, revised and improved hy 
competent persons for publication in this couutry. It is the most comi)lete 
work ou the S'lbjeet, probably, in the English language, and that, of course, 
means the most complete in existence. Everything relating to a horse that 
history, science, observation, or practical knowledge can lurnish. has a place 
in it."— Worcister Daily Spy. 

THE HOESE. By William Youatt, together with a General 
History of the Horse ; a dissertation on the American Trotting 
Horse, and an essay on the Ass and the Mule. By J. S. Skix- 
NER. With a beautiful engraving on steel of the famous 
" West Australian," and 58 illustrations on wood. 8vo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $1.75. 

BOOK OF THE FAEM. The Handy-book of Husbandry. Con- 
taining Practical Information in Eegard to Buying or Leasing 
a Farm; Fences and Farm Buildings, Farming Implements, 
Drainage, Plowing, Subsoiling, Manuring, Eotation of Crops, 
Care and Medical Treatment of the Cattle, Sheep, and Poul- 
try; Management of the Dairy; Useful Tables, etc. By 
George E. Waring, Jr., of Ogden Farm, author of " Drain- 
ing for Profit and for Health," etc. New edition, thoroughly 
revised by the author. With 100 illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $2.00. 

AMEEICAN OENITHOLOGY; or. The Natural History of the 
Birds of the United States. By Alexander Wilson and 
Charles Lucien Bonaparte. Popular Edition, complete in 
one volume imperial octavo. 1200 pages and nearly 400 illus- 
tnftions of birds. Formerly published at $100 ; now published 
at the low price: Cloth, extra, black and gold, $7.50; half 
morocco, marbled edges, $12.50. 
This large and handsome volume, printed in a superior manner on good 
paper from the original stereotype plates of the larger edition, contains the 
Lite of Wilson, occupying 132 pages; a full Catalogue of North American 
Birds, furnished by Professor Spencer F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion; Complte Index, with the names of over 900 birds described in the 
text, and is illustratt^d with nearly 400 figures of birds engraved on wood. 
It is ex.ictly the same size as the larger edition, with the exception that the 
engravings are reduced in size and are not colored, reproducing every line 
of tlie original edition. It is one of the best books of permanent value 
(strictly an American hook) ever published, noted for its beauty of diction 
and power of description, pre-eminent as the ablest work on Ornithology, 
and now published at a moderate price, that places it within the reach of 
all. Every lover of birds, every school, public or family library should 
have this book. We know of no other way in which so much pleasure, so 
much information, and so much usefulness can be had for the price. 



16 PORTER & COATES' PUBLICATIONS. 



AMEEICAN CHESS PLAYEE'S HAND-BOOK. Teaching the 
Eudiments of the Game, and giving an Analysis of all the 
recognized openings. Exemplified by appropriate Games act- 
ually played by Paul Morphy, Harrwitz, Anderssen, Staunton, 
Paulsen, Montgomery, Meek, and others. From the works of 
Staunton and others. Illustrated. 16mo. Cloth, extra, $1.25. 

AMEEICAN GAEDENEE'S ASSISTANT. Containing complete 
Practical Directions for the Cultivation of Vegetables, Flowers, 
Fruit Trees, and Grape Vines. By Thomas Beidgman. New 
edition, revised and enlarged, by S. Edwards Todd. With 
70 illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $2.00. 

DISEASES OF THE HOESE, AND HOW TO TEEAT THEM. 
A concise Manual of Special Pathology, for the use of Horse- 
men, Farmers, Stock Eaisers, and Students in Agricultural 
Colleges. By Eobert Chawnee. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $1.25. 

JEESEY, ALDEENEY, AND GUEENSEY COWS. Their His- 
tory, Nature, and Management. Edited from the writings of 
Edward P. Fowler, George E. Waring, Jr., Charles L. Sharp- 
less, Prof. John Gamgee, C. P. Le Cornu, Col. Le Couteur, 
Prof. Magne, Fr. Guenon, Dr. Twaddell, and others, by 
Willis P. Hazard. 8vo. Illustrated with about 30 engrav- 
ings, diagrams, etc. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50. 

THE TEOTTING HOESE OF AMEEICA. How to Train and 
Drive him, with Eeminiscences of the Trotting Turf. By 
Hiram Woodruff. Edited by Charles J. Foster. Includ- 
ing an Introductory Notice by George Wilkes, and a Bio- 
graphical Sketch by the Editor. 20th edition, revised and 
brought down to 187*^, and containing a full account of the 
famous " Earns." With a steel portrait of the author, and six 
engravings on wood of celebrated trotters, 12mo. Cloth, 
extra, black and gold, $2.50. 

POETEE & COATES' INTEEEST TABLES. Containing accurate 
calculations of interest at i, 1, 2, 3, 3^, 4, Ah, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 per 
cent, per annum, on all sums from $1.00 to $10,000, and from 
one dav to six years. Also some very valuable tables, calcu- 
lated by John E, Coffin, 8vo. Cloth, extra, $1.00. 

READY EECKONEE (The Improved,) FOEM AND LOGBOOK. 

The Trader's, Farmer's and Merchant's useful assistant. Con- 
taining Tables of Values, Wages, Interest, Scantling, Board, 
Plank and Log Measurements, Business Forms, etc, ISmo. 
Boards, cloth back, illustrated cover, 25 cents. 


















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